Jose Mourinho visits Diego Maradona mural before Roma match to pay respects to his friend

AS Roma have travelled south to Naples for their bumper Serie A clash with Napoli.

It’s a must-win game for Jose Mourinho’s men given they lie fifth in the table, one place behind the final Champions League qualification spot currently occupied by Juventus.

Although, it seems Mourinho had bigger things on his mind upon his arrival in Naples, as he made his way to Diego Maradona’s mural in the city to pay his respects to the Argentinian king.

Mourinho, who was a friend to Maradona, gave an emotional tribute to the man upon his passing in 2020:

“Maradona the world knows, the world never forgets,” he said, according to Sky Sports.

“I made sure that my son knows a lot about him, even being born after he was a player. I know my son will make sure when he is a father he will not let his kids forget.

“Then there’s Diego the guy. That one, I miss. I feel sorry that I didn’t spend more time with him, I would have loved to.

“I think his family, his friends and colleagues are very privileged to know him well and spend time with him.

“I know him well enough and in my big defeats, he would always call me. In my big victories, never. But I will miss Diego, and I am very sad but I have a smile because with him, every minute I spent with him was to laugh.”

Given their close friendship, it’s not surprising that Mourinho wanted to pay his respects in the only other place that felt like home to Diego outside of Argentina – his beloved Naples.

A recent video shared to Twitter via AS Roma, shows Mourinho staring distantly towards the mural of the man he knew, before slowly approaching and placing a bouquet of flowers at the base of the artwork.

L’omaggio a Diego Armando Maradona