The days leading up to the derby are a long time for Sevilla and Betis fans. In sports, to remember past confrontations, look at the statistics, and conclude which team came in better shape… but there is much more than that. because Derby has it too … Historical characterWith hints of nostalgia, characteristics and controversies that surround the two Sevilla teams.
For example, the memory of Matthew Betis offered Napoli nine hundred million pesetas in exchange for Diego Armando Maradonajust two days before Sevilla signed the Argentine official. News that was remembered again on social media in the days leading up to and from the derby ABC He said it 33 years ago.
This is ABC’s viral cover with Betis featuring Maradona
That was Sunday, September 20, 1992 AD ABC She opened her cover with this title: “Betis offers nine hundred million pesetas to Maradona«, along with a picture of the Argentine and another of Manuel Ruiz de Lopera. The cover went viral recently, 33 years later, when popular X account @malacarasev mentioned it in a post.
Under this headline, ABC provided more information about this news at the time:
Betis, supported by Manuel Ruiz de Lobera, offered Napoli, through an important financial group, nine hundred million pesetas for Diego Armando Maradona. According to our news, the aforementioned financial group contacted the Green and White Club a few days ago – specifically with its president José León Gomez – and the offer was studied and accepted, because according to Green and White sources, if implemented, it would be under very interesting circumstances. Ruiz de Lobera himself – pictured right – confirmed this information to ABC, and even stated that an envoy from Real Betis Balompie is already negotiating with Napoli. The conditions offered by this financial group to the Betis club are to obtain the said group from the Argentine player and to play for Betis, as said by the financial entity that retains 25% of the income that will be generated, whether from subscriptions, television rights or advertising, in the Seville club through the arrival of the best player in the world. This new fact puts the Maradona case in trouble when we are on the eve of what appears to be a decisive meeting in Zurich so that Maradona can be separated from the Napoli club and return to the stadiums..
But, as is known, this process was never carried out. In fact, finally, Maradona ended up joining the eternal rivalthe Sevilla team headed by Luis Corvas, who obtained the services of the Argentine in exchange for paying 750 million pesetas to Napoli. It is worth noting that at that time, after he was an idol with the Argentine national team, he became a star for the Italian national team and was considered the best player in the world at that time, Maradona had just completed a 15-month ban Taxes after testing positive for cocaine in an Italian league anti-doping test.
Now, it doesn’t stop there. Controversy over Betis’ interest in Maradona. Lobera added immediately after this information appeared: “We were offered, through our president Jose Leon, a few days ago, through an important financial group, the possibility of contracting with Maradona… He is like someone who does not usually play the lottery, and suddenly, They offer you a tithe which, in addition, could be a jackpot… They can also give ‘poor things’ like us work like this… I want to make it very clear that I have nothing against this other club (Sevilla) which I respect, as an entity, but I can’t say the same about whoever is currently managing it because they can remember many things…’.
Those words said by the former Betic leader were nothing, as his Sevilla counterpart, Luis Corvas, immediately responded, saying, “I will not enter into any controversy because this does not make any sense. Maradona said very clearly that he only wants to play in Seville. We are Arietus and on the road we will meet.