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Wednesday, November 22, 2017, 11:52
Maradona to reunite with Lineker on stage at WCup draw
By Associated Press
Wednesday, November 22, 2017, 11:52 By Associated Press

Argentinian football star Diego Maradona holds up the name of Portugal during the official draw for the FIFA under-20 football World Cup in Suwon, south of Seoul, on March 15, 2017. (JUNG Yeon-Je / AFP)

ZURICH — Diego Maradona will be reunited on stage with World Cup rival Gary Lineker at the draw in Moscow next week.

Maradona will represent Argentina in the State Kremlin Palace, where all eight World Cup-winning nations will send a playing great to assist in the draw, FIFA said Tuesday.

Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 title, eliminating Lineker's England in the quarterfinals with the help of his "Hand of God" goal in Mexico City.

Former English Football player and TV host Gary Lineker arrives for the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen football match between FC Bayern Munich and Arsenal in Munich, southern Germany, on Feb 15, 2017. (ODD ANDERSEN / AFP)

Minutes later, Maradona scored one of the best goals in World Cup history, before Lineker pulled England close in a 2-1 loss. Maradona was voted player of the tournament and Lineker was the top scorer with six goals.

Lineker will host the 32-nation ceremony on Dec. 1. England will be officially represented by Gordon Banks, goalkeeper on the 1966 team.

The other draw assistants are Laurent Blanc, Cafu, Fabio Cannavaro, Diego Forlan, Carles Puyol, and Nikita Simonyan for host Russia.

Former Germany forward Miroslav Klose will bring the World Cup trophy on stage.

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