Former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri reveals he tried to bring Diego Maradona back to Napoli in 1991, “but he had already decided to retire.”

The Stadio San Paolo was officially renamed the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this week and it will be the first Serie A game to be played at this venue.

“I think it’s a wonderful gesture. As well as being a world champion, Maradona was the soul of Napoli in a way, giving the whole population life in football terms,” Ranieri told the official Sampdoria website as cited by Football Italia.

“The first year I went to Napoli as a coach, Ciro Ferrara and I tried to convince Maradona to return, We spoke to him twice when we were in pre-season training, but he had already decided to retire. It was very disappointing, because I would’ve loved to coach a player like him.”