Spain were deserving champions, says Caniggia during Dhaka visit

With his tall frame, handsome features, and shoulder-length blonde hair, Claudio Caniggia instantly evokes memories of that fierce Argentina team of the 1990s for football fans. His hair once became a point of contention when Argentina coach Daniel Passarella ordered him to cut it ahead of the 1994 World Cup, a directive Caniggia refused to follow. Today, football fans of that era still recognize him easily by those very signature locks.

However, the biggest part of Caniggia's identity remains tied to another Argentine legend, Diego Maradona. Remembering his late friend, the former forward said, "He is my friend, I miss him a lot. We played together for many years. I grew up watching Diego; he played wonderfully for Boca Juniors. And that kiss thing was just our goal celebration, nothing else."

The 1986 World Cup was a stage dominated entirely by Maradona, and Caniggia made his debut for the Argentina national team the very following year. The 1990 World Cup on Italian soil witnessed the brilliant partnership of these two stars. Though Maradona's career was then entering its twilight, the magic in his feet remained undimmed. During the Round of 16 match against Brazil, Maradona drew four opposing players toward himself before sliding a brilliant pass to Caniggia, who capitalized on the opportunity to score and end Brazil's World Cup journey. Caniggia also scored in the semifinals.

That very Argentine star has now visited Bangladesh. On Tuesday at 5pm, Caniggia spent time with the children of the Fortis Football Academy. Later, following the final of the Dhaka Inter-School Champions League featuring 36 teams, he handed out prizes to the young players.

Having such an Argentine legend up close naturally brought up discussions regarding the recent World Cup final and Lionel Messi's disappointing exit. Addressing Argentina's defeat in the final, Caniggia remarked, "I am certainly disappointed. However, Spain won the title as a deserving team. The final wasn't even. The Argentine players were injured and exhausted."

Having played alongside Maradona and witnessed Messi's rise firsthand, Caniggia does not find many similarities between the two. In Caniggia's words, "I don't think Messi is like Maradona. Messi can play until he is 43. I don't know if he has the desire, but he can play."

Caniggia considers it a matter of great pride for his country to have had the opportunity to witness both Maradona and Messi—the two megastars of Argentina's football history—up close. He stated, "In the history of great footballers, there are Pelé, Maradona, and Messi. We got two of them. That is a matter of pride for Argentina."