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Scotty & Izzy live on SN ExtraSouth Melbourne to Maradona: Ex-Socceroos captain’s wild moment
SEN • June 21st, 2026 2:16 pm
Former Socceroos captain Paul Wade had the biggest job in football one night in 1993.
Playing against Argentina in a two-legged playoff to reach the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Wade was tasked by Australia coach Eddie Thompson to mark the brilliant Diego Maradona for the entire two matches.
As a part-time footballer for South Melbourne at the time, it was certainly a huge task coming up against the player who had just about won the World Cup on his own eight years earlier.
Wade reflected on how Thompson hilariously relayed his task about Maradona a few days before the first leg in Sydney.
“The manager Eddie Thompson told me, 'If he goes to the toilet, you go with him'. It was totally inappropriate, but I think I got his message loud and clear,” Wade told This is Your Journey - thanks to Tobin Brothers.
“He didn't tell me until about three days before. We went to Marconi Stadium to watch an NSL game and I could not concentrate because I was thinking, 'I'm playing against Diego Maradona one-on-one, he won the World Cup on his own in '86... and I play for South Melbourne. How am I going to do this?’.”
After barely sleeping for a few nights, Wade made a unique attempt at putting the superstar off his game in the tunnel, but the gesture quickly earned him respect with the maestro.
“Yep (I tried to put him off, I said) 'Happy birthday, Diego'," Wade said.
“It was his birthday, and I thought, you know what, just say it. I was standing there looking at all the Argentina players on the other side of the field, thinking, 'You miserable lot'. Then I thought, 'Just say it'.
“Then every time I knocked him down in that 90 minutes at the Sydney Football Stadium, I just apologised, I put my hand out to say sorry, and he got up. You could see him, he gets up a couple of times, and he puts both hands up, shows me his palms, and he shrugs his shoulders saying, 'Hey, no problem at all'.
“I thought, 'Wow, what a genius, what a gentleman'... he made me feel it was going to be a contest which was respectable.”
Wade would put up a strong effort against Maradona in the two games, with Argentina eventually beating out the Aussies 2-1 across the legs to progress to the World Cup.
The former Socceroo discussed many more moments of his intriguing life and career on this week’s episode.
Listen to Wade's chat with Sam Edmund below.
