There are no shortage of intriguing stories about the late, great footballer Diego Maradona, who died on Wednesday aged 60. However, one of the most unusual tales relates to a Scania 113H truck.
The story stems from the Maradona’s infamous departure from the World Cup in the United States in 1994. Just days after scoring an absolute screamer against Greece, Maradona tested positive for ephedrine and was booted out of the tournament.
Once back in his homeland, the superstar footballer was predictably swamped by the paparazzi every time he left his home.
To try and evade the cameras, Maradona would use different cars now and again. However, the journalists in Argentina quickly worked out which cars he was using and the problem returned.
In the end the World Cup winner found a solution to his problems in the shape of a Scania 113 H truck. The lorry’s height made it difficult for the media to approach him or take photographs – the footballer was even quoted as saying „nobody gets up here” at the time.
In the video below, Maradona is seen driving in the Scania truck on his way to the Boca Juniors training ground in 1997.
Interestingly, a Scania 113H just like the one used by Maradona in the video can now be purchased for 60,000 US dollars. If the model advertised was indeed used by Maradona, it could turn out to be one of the most unusual items of football memorabilia ever purchased.
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons (1 and 2, by Felipe Micaroni Lalli) The latter image has been cropped