Man who signed Maradona, Messi at Barca pays tribute to Diego
Fans and activists of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) light candles as they pay homage to late Argentinian football legend Diego Armando Maradona in Siliguri on November 27, 2020.
Minguella has been involved with Barcelona since the start of the 1970s and helped arrange the deals to secure not only the two Argentine stars but also a host of other players including such international stars as Romario and Hristo Stoichkov.
After a long courtship, he brought Maradona, aged 21, to Barcelona for a then world record fee of 7.6 million dollars in 1982. He was also involved in the deal that brought Messi to the club at the age of 13.
Barcelona, Spain
The difference between Diego Maradona's difficult spell at Barcelona and Lionel Messi's triumphant reign at the club is largely down to luck, said the man who helped bring both Argentines to the Camp Nou.
