March 29th 1986 marked the day Maradona played for the first and only time against his club Napoli. The Argentinian National Team scheduled a friendly match in Naples in preparation for the World Cup in Mexico, just 3 months away. We all know Argentina would end up lifting the trophy, and Maradona would have a historic performance, but at the time of this friendly the Seleccion was highly criticized by the Argentinian press, who wanted the coach Bilardo sacked before the tournament.
40 thousand Napoli fans witnessed a 2-1 win for the Albiceleste. Diego Maradona had an assist on the first goal and was cheered by the fans just as much as the home squad. The victory, along with another subsequent friendly win against Grasshopper from Switzerland, gave Bilardo and his players the peace they needed to enter the World Cup.