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Published 13:22 3 Jul 2026 BST
Updated 13:23 3 Jul 2026 BST

Actor Colin Farrell was one of the lucky ones to have met footballing legend Diego Maradona, and he recounted the experience of meeting his idol during a World Cup programme.
Few footballers on the planet have been as universally adored as Maradona, who famously won the World Cup in 1986 with Argentina and cemented his status as one of the world’s greatest.
One of his biggest admirers is Irish actor Colin Farrell, who revealed in detail how his “crazy” night with the Argentine icon played out.
Other than his iconic presence on the pitch and the fact that he attracted millions with this style of play, Maradona was also famous for his lavish lifestyle, and later his substance abuse.
It appears he still enjoyed nightlife even a decade after hanging up his boots, as Farrell revealed on Fox Sports.
Farrell, 50, eventually ran into his hero in a Buenos Aires nightclub during the filming of Miami Vice, the 2006 Michael Mann action crime film that over the years has become a cult favourite.
Back in 2005, the Dubliner revealed that one of the highlights during that production was a chance meeting with Maradona during a trip to Argentina.
Farrell spent a few days in Argentina with his dad Eamon when taking a break from filming Miami Vice in nearby Uruguay.
On their first night in the country, Maradona showed up at the nightclub they went to, Farrell revealed.
Speaking on Fox Sports, the actor recalled how he got on so well with the footballing legend that the night eventually culminated with a passionate kiss between the two.
“When you're meeting your hero and someone you idolise as much as I idolised him, gender doesn't come into it…”, Farrell said, referring to the kiss.
Apparently Maradona’s aura was so massive that everyone at the club went bonkers the moment he walked in.
“We went to a nightclub. We got a corner table, ordered our first drinks, then I heard commotion at the front door about 40 or 50 feet away”, Farrell said.
“I looked over, I'll never forget it, it was 2005. There was flashlights and bulbs. There was about 15 or 20 people in a semi-circle backing up towards us with lights going off.”
“The gap opened and there he was: 5'5" of poetic genius. Honest to God…”.
“He was magnificent. We met the next night, we met again because he wanted to give me that jersey that you showed. What a class act. He was cool, his daughter was there, my dad was with us. It was one of the best nights, honest to God. My dad was professional footballer, so he couldn't believe it”, Farrell added.
“He had the Maradona jersey for me and he signed it. It was only when I got back to the hotel room did I see that he didn't sign it to Colin, he signed it to 'Papa Eamon', my dad. Then I realised, what a class act.”
Colin’s dad Eamon had an accomplished career during his youth, as he won the FA Cup with Shamrock Rovers in 1962, and it appears that that love for football rubbed off on his son, with Diego Maradona his favourite ever player.



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