Diego Maradona ended his professional career in October 1997 at the age of 36. His last match was Boca’s 2-1 win over River Plate.
The game took place at the Monumental Stadium on October 25, five days before Maradona’s 37th birthday. He had little impact on the match and was substituted in the first half. Juan Román Riquelme came on in his place.
Maradona joined Boca in October 1995. Before that he played for Argentinos Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli and Sevilla. In 1994, he briefly returned to Argentina to play for Newell’s Old Boys. He spent two years at Boca before retiring from professional football.
His last appearance for Argentina came against Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup. Maradona made 91 appearances for the national team, scored 33 goals and won two titles, including the 1986 World Cup. At a 2001 tribute match, he said: “I made mistakes and paid for them, but the ball is not stained.”