The 2021 Maradona Cup was the 1st edition of the Maradona Cup, a club friendly football match established to honour the late Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.[1][2][3][4] The match was played at Mrsool Park in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, on 14 December 2021[5][6][7][8][9], and was contested by FC Barcelona and Boca Juniors, two clubs that Maradona played for during his career.[10]
Maradona played for Boca Juniors after being traded from Argentinos Juniors in 1981,[11][12] winning the 1981 Metropolitano championship and leaving the next season to then return in 1995 until his official retirement in 1997. On the other hand, Barcelona were the first European club Maradona played for after his first period at Boca Juniors. During his two seasons with Barcelona, Maradona won the Copa del Rey, the Supercopa de España and the Copa de la Liga.[13]