The story of the boy whose life was saved by Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona was known for his talent at playing soccer, and also for his shortcomings outside his professional life. But when he had just arrive to Italy for play at Napoli, he saved a life of a baby named Luca Quarto, who thinks about him as a second father who gave him a life.

In January 1985, Diego had just left FC Barcelona and joined Napoli, after the president Corrado Ferlaino paid more than 8 million euro to have him, a big transfer at the time. He had already a reputation as one of the best players in the world, and the city was thrilled with the signing.

Some kilometers away, Luca, a one year old baby, had a serious health issue in his mouth and nose, and his life was at risk. His father knew a teammate of Maradona and asked him to convince Diego to play a charity match. Ferlaino refused to let him play because he did not want to take the risk of Maradona getting injured, but the Argentinian went anyway with some teammates and his brother.

Luca's surgery costed 20 millon lira. The match raised five million and Diego himself paid the rest. The match was played versus a local club, and Diego's team won 4-0 with him scoring twice. They met again in 2002 on Italian TV, and Luca thanked him for saving his life and told him he was like a second father for him.