THE man who accidentally became a star after carrying Diego Maradona on his shoulders after the 1986 World Cup final win in Mexico has died.
Roberto Cejas, 68, who passed away on Sunday after fighting an illness, was pictured in the iconic photos taken at the Estadio Azteca.
Cejas became one of the best-known supporters ever after he entered the field at full-time and hoisted Maradona in front of the world.
His face can be seen clearly in images of Maradona parading the World Cup trophy above his head following the 3-2 win over West Germany.
Cejas carried Maradona on his shoulders, holding his legs as the celebrations go on around him.
Maradona, who died in November 2020, was awarded the Player of the Tournament award for his five goals including the Hand of God against England at the same venue one week earlier.
He was the centre of the footballing world at the time and inspired Argentina’s victory.
Cejas was there with a big moustache to accompany Maradona at full-time, but his moment of fame was a massive fluke, he would later reveal.
Speaking about the iconic incident, he said: “I only went for the final.
“I arrived in Mexico on Saturday afternoon, and the game was on Sunday at noon. I said, ‘If we beat Belgium, I’ll go watch the final.’
“I had a team-mate in Mexico who told me, ‘Come, there’s someone here who has the ticket and wants to sell it’. And that’s how I started.
“But when I arrived and went to look for that person, he’d already sold it. So that’s when things started to get complicated.”
Many have been unaware of Cejas’ story throughout the years but he would later add: “The stadium had a pit, with an iron structure, we went to the corner, where there were two police officers. We made a feint and jumped on to the field.”
He continued: “At first, what I did was go to the middle of the field. And there I jumped, twirled, sang, because I thought: ‘One day they’ll see the video and they’ll see me, but I’ll know who I am, on my own.’
“And when the players started to do their lap of honour, we saw them and made a kind of cordon for them to go alone. But it was impossible.
“When I was approaching the six-yard box, I was wearing a light blue and white wig, and Diego stopped in front of me as if he was about to give me a penalty.
“He turned around, looked at me, and nothing was necessary. I didn’t hesitate, I bent down and picked him up.
“And so I started trotting him along. It was impossible to see where we were going; he controlled me, telling me where to go.”
Cejas and Maradona reunited at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Santa Fe-based fan explained: “We gave each other a beautiful hug.
“Diego laughed and said: ‘You know how much the cup weighs, but I know how much the cup weighs.’ It was very emotional.”
