The Argentine team Boca Juniors won the Maradona Cup in its inaugural edition after defeating Barcelona in a penalty shootout 4-2, following a 1-1 draw in the match held on Tuesday evening at "Mrsool Park" in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This match was organized to commemorate the anniversary of the legendary Argentine player's death on November 25, 2020, and was part of the Riyadh Season events. The goals were scored by Ferran Jotgla for Barcelona and Exequiel Zeballos for Boca Juniors in the 52nd and 77th minutes, respectively.
Both Barcelona and Boca Juniors are among the prominent clubs the late Argentine star played for and represent significant stages in his football career, hence their selection to compete in the Maradona Cup. The match was attended by the family of the Argentine legend Maradona.
Barcelona's lineup included: "Neto, Dest, Eric Puyik, Dani Alves, DeMaier, Coutinho, Lenglet, Balde, Eric, Álvaro Sanz, Jotgla." Barcelona gained many technical advantages from the Riyadh Cup, notably the debut of the new right-back Daniel Alves, who is expected to officially start his journey with the team in January after the winter transfer window opens.
Barcelona's squad for the Riyadh Season included 28 players, including 11 from the youth team, while Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto, and Pedri were absent due to injuries.
Financially, Barcelona will receive 3 million euros for participating in the Maradona Cup in Riyadh, divided into 2 million euros for the club and 1 million euros for the players. This amount is expected to contribute to extending the contracts of the young duo Ronald Araújo and Gavi in the upcoming period.
Maradona passed away on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60 due to a heart attack. He began his sporting career with Boca Juniors for the 1981-1982 season, before moving to Barcelona, where he played for two seasons until 1984, then moved to Napoli, where he stayed until 1991. He had a brief spell at Sevilla before returning to his first club, where he remained until his retirement in 1997.
