Maradona receives an honorary citizenship from Naples

Presented by the city's mayor

Posted Thursday, July 06, 2017 by Marca.com

Diego Maradona was awarded with a prestigious document on Wednesday as he was given an honorary citizenship of the city of Naples.

It was a significant honour and was presented to the Argentine legend by the mayor of the city as a thank you for the player's time there between 1984 and 1991, when he starred for Napoli.

"When I go around the world, I always see the banners that are written and say 'don't forget those who love you'," Maradona said after being presented with the honour at the San Giacomo Palace in Naples.

"There are no people who loved me as much as you Neapolitans."

After some concerns and discontent about the 56-year-old receiving the award, the former Barcelona playmaker believes that this recognition is a result for democracy.

"Thanks also to those who did not want me to be a Neapolitan citizen, because this shows that there is democracy and that we will always award those who did something for this city," he said.

After the event, which lasted around 15 minutes, had concluded, Maradona departed from the City Hall to move to Plebiscito Square as thousands of fans awaited his arrival to pay homage to him.

He reminisced with his fans about the historical league title win for the side from southern Italy in 1987, along with a mention of his former teammates such as Ciro Ferrara, Giuseppe Bruscolotti and Bruno Giordano.