The Argentine National Team will play a competition again in the United States, the Copa America 2024. A country that has given him some sadness and even controversy in the past. The doping of Diego Maradona and the return home in the round of 16 during the 1994 World Cup and the hard fall in the final of the Copa America Centenario 2016.
As prior to the 2024 Copa América, the cycle Selection Glories of BOLAVIP had to Leo Rodriguezwho was part of the Argentina squad in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. One of the most surprising episodes that he had to live through happened on a plane in this tournament.
According to what he said, Lightning struck in the middle of the plane that was transporting the Argentine National Team from Dallas to Los Angeles. This happened after Maradona’s doping became known and before playing the round of 16 match against Romania.
The story of the lightning that struck the Argentine National Team plane, according to Leo Rodríguez
By finishing in third place in group D, after losing to Bulgaria 2-0, the Argentine National Team left Dallas and had to play in the famous Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Los Angeles. Thus, he had to travel by plane, a trip that to this day, Leo Rodríguez, remembers what he went through.
“The plane almost went down, we had a big disappointment. When we were going from Dallas to Los Angeles, it moved. We were struck by lightning in the middle of the plane, everything flew through the air“Leo Rodríguez recalled. After suffering the hard news of Maradona’s suspensionadded to Claudio Paul Caniggia’s injury In the duel against Bulgaria, the spirit of the team Alfio Coconut Basile It wasn’t the best. And she added this fear.
“I remember that I had Fernando Redondo behind me. We were drinking mate, coffee, we got burned, everything blew up, everyone was screaming. We made a stop and I remember that, without giving names, some of the kids didn’t want to fly, they were afraid.“revealed the former midfielder for Lanús, Vélez, San Lorenzo and Argentinos, among other clubs.
“To compete at that level where the difference between winning and losing is minimal, you have to be well fed, well rested, with a climate of tranquility. And many things happened to us. We lost Maradona and Caniggia. That is, width of sword, width of club. In 72 hours“Rodríguez added.
How did Argentina deal with Diego Maradona’s suspension for doping?
Beyond the lightning on the plane, the minds of the Argentine soccer players were for a long time on that doping of Diego Armando Maradona. Leo Rodríguez recounted his feelings from that time and the pain that the team experienced due to the absence of the crack.
“We were not prepared for Maradona’s suspension. And we got the wrong message, that it was very likely that his suspension would be lifted. Between the game they suspend it until the next game, up to 24 hours, we were hoping it could happen. For me it was very complicated, Basile didn’t tell me anything“, recalled the former Atalanta.
“It was hard, Diego’s departure hurt us a lot.. It hurt him a lot, and it hurt us a lot because we lost our peace of mind.. It revolutionized us, there were a thousand journalists at the door of the hotel, they wanted to get into the elevators. And the truth is that we didn’t know anything“, he said.
For Leo Rodríguez, that Argentine National Team, with Maradona and Caniggia, would have reached at least the semifinals. The circumstances led to it not being possible.
