Tardelli: My Cowardice Towards Maradona and Thoughts on Juventus Leadership

Former Juventus midfielder Marco Tardelli spoke at the Festival dello Sport, sharing career anecdotes. He recalled a moment from his early days at Juventus, telling Dino Zoff, "You know, I was a waiter for you years ago." Zoff playfully tapped his glass and announced to the team, "This guy served me all those years ago." Tardelli laughed, saying he nearly collapsed back into his seat.

He also remembered departed teammates. He described Gaetano Scirea's death as violent and accidental, noting Scirea hadn't initially intended to travel to Poland for the match. "Paolo Rossi? I always remember him with a smile. You'd try to provoke him, and you couldn't," Tardelli added.

Discussing Diego Maradona's opposition to FIFA, Tardelli admitted he was cowardly in not joining Maradona's proposed player association, which also included Gianluca Vialli. "At that time, I didn't like how Maradona was portrayed," he explained. "We didn't help him. I consider it a cowardly act, and I've told his son. He was a man of the people, one of the few who always spoke out against wrongdoing. Yet on the field, I assure you, I'd hurt myself trying to foul him, and he never said a word. He was a fantastic person. He might have had flaws and made mistakes, but he would have been the right person to lead something important. You'd need twelve men to stop him. I met him once, and he said, 'I saw your daughter on TV dancing, beautiful, talented, congratulations!' Why would he tell me that? That's who he was."

Regarding a potential return to Juventus as a director, Tardelli expressed uncertainty about his suitability. "I don't know if I'm cut out to be a director," he stated. "But I can be close to the team. When I was on the Juventus board, my focus was on what I needed to do, not on finances or anything else. I need that connection with the team."