Diego Maradona Late into the President\'s Cup match between Al Wasl and Al Ahli, a ball came flying towards Diego Maradona in the dugout. The Argentine legend, showing a glimpse of his sublime skills , chested it down, juggled the ball for a bit on his feet and shoulders before kicking it towards the ball boy.
Even the seething Ahli fans had to grudgingly applaud that show. Their team were down by three goals at the time, and they had been barracking their club\'s officials, who were sitting a few metres away in the VIP stand.
One of them turned again towards the mandarins and said: \"You should sign Maradona; he is still better than all these players.\"
Maradona, of course, was oblivious to those comments. He was in world of his own, bouncing around like an excited teen and pumping his fists triumphantly.
That night, \"El Diego\" seemed a different man to the one seen a week earlier in Al Ain, when he tersely waved Olaroiu Cosmin away as the home team coach walked towards him to shake hands.
Cosmin had made some unsavoury comments about Maradona\'s chequered past after an Etisalat Cup match in November and the Romanian was trying to patch things up, but Mardona was not in a forgiving mood.
He called the Romanian \"rude\" and on Friday night, Maradona gave an unflattering assessment of Cosmin\'s coaching abilities.
\"Al Ain are a very good team, regardless of their coach,\" Maradona said when asked about Al Ain\'s chances of capturing the Pro League title. \"They are a really tough team and the credit belongs to the players alone, not the coaching abilities of their coach.
\"He [Cosmin] is just looking for a bit of fame through controversy. People like [Al Ahli coach Quique Sanchez] Flores, [Al Nasr coach Walter] Zenga and me are all known for our achievements in the world of sports. I cannot say the same about Cosmin.
\"He has got some great players like [Asamoah] Gyan and others to help him. If he was coaching another team, I don\'t think he would last long. He would probably be sacked and sent home.\"
That statement brought a few laughs out of the assembled media, but Cosmin will certainly not be amused. The Al Ain coach, however, should count himself lucky that Maradona did not get personal.
Those who know Maradona know it could have got worse; he has a long history of run-ins and is not a man who minces his words. Many commentators having been running a countdown since Al Wasl announced their stunning deal with Maradona in May, speculating on just how long his unrestrained candour would play in the UAE.
In June, the Rolling Stone ME magazine talked about why \"Maradona-plus-Dubai was not a match made in heaven\".
According to the magazine, the chances of him simply \"saying the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time was too great\".
To the disappointment of his baiters, though, nothing of that sort has happened. rom him.
He has kicked a fan, criticised his players for not being regular at training and talked about the poor refereeing standards, but according to Zenga, a long-time rival and friend, his criticism might actually be good for the game here.
\"What Maradona says after a game should not be considered as criticism,\" said Zenga, the former Italy and Inter Milan goalkeeper. \"Instead, he talks because of his desire to improve the game here and help people learn from their mistakes.
\"So he is trying to help and not run down people. That is our [Maradona and Zenga\'s] joint goal - to promote UAE football through our experiences and help the game improve here. I agree with Maradona\'s comments about refereeing and professionalism.\"
Ali Bujsaim, a former UAE international referee and former chairman of the UAE Football Association\'s Referees Committee, also agrees Maradona is not trying to run down officials or put pressure on them. \"His complaints are normal and you will hear such things from most people,\" Bujsaim said.