DUN DEAL
Crazy moment Diego Maradona almost signed for DUNDEE after Fabian Caballero helped spark incredible transformation
Another controversial incident involving the Argentina hero scuppered the plans
SCOTTISH football has been paying tribute to cult hero Fabian Caballero today, after he suddenly passed away at the age of 46.
He was a fan favourite at Dundee and his arrival at Dens in 2000 was part of a major transformation taking place at the Tayside club - and he was very nearly joined by a certain Diego Maradona.
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For those of a certain vintage it's hard to believe that Dens Park became home for an influx of overseas stars at the start of the new millennium.
When ex-Sampdoria and Juventus midfielder Ivano Bonetti jetted into Scotland along with his brother Dario (himself a European Cup finalist with Roma) to become player-manager of Dundee, few would have predicted some of the names who would be wearing the dark blue over the next few seasons.
Caballero, who died in the early hours of Saturday morning after collapsing during a game of futsal among friends, signed for the Dee on July 1, 2000 from Sol de America of Paraguay - a year after his loan spell at Arsenal had ended.
On that same day the club welcomed Argentine striker Juan Sara, Swiss defender Marcello Marrocco and Italian centre-back Marco De Marchi.
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That was a sign of the type of players Bonetti would be able to attract.
Walter del Rio joined from Crystal Palace the following month and then in October Dundee shocked the football world when they lured former World Cup star Claudio Caniggia to the club.
Zurab Khizanishvili joined in March and would later be sold to Rangers but not before two of his Georgian compatriots had also rocked up at Dens in the shape of Georgi Nemsadze and Temur Ketsbaia.
Fabrizio Ravenelli, Julian Speroni and another future Rangers star in Nacho Novo were some of the other foreigners who came to the club during these times, under the ambitious ownership of Peter and James Marr.
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Ex-Celtic star Craig Burley also came in for a short spell in 2003, by that time it was Jim Duffy in charge after Bonetti's sacking in July 2002.
But the biggest name of all to be linked with the club was Maradona.
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A close friend of Caniggia's after starring at Italia 90 together, Maradona was in retirement when his fellow Argentine signed for the Dee.
Such was Caniggia's own popularity though, his new team's matches were regularly screened back in his homeland.
Caniggia and Maradona kept in touch and rumours began to swirl of them linking up once again as soon as he set foot in Scotland.
Soon the speculation was no more, and Maradona (then aged 40) was being lined up for a glamour friendly with former club Napoli in 2001 - and he would be turning out for Dundee.
Dundee said in a statement at the time: “In relation to continuing speculation in the media, Dundee Football Club can confirm there was recent correspondence between Diego Maradona, his representatives and Dundee Football Club that outlined both parties’ desire for Maradona to play for Dundee in a one-off glamour friendly.
“We hope we are in a position to settle upon further details, such as a date, time and place for the game within the next few days. But it is looking increasingly likely that any match involving Maradona (and Dundee FC) will take place at Dens Park.”
Midfield maestro Ketsbaia even commented on it - after hearing Maradona would bank £250,000 for appearing in the game.
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“As far as I know, Maradona has already sent his agreement by fax and is being paid £250,000 for one game," he said.
The controversial World Cup winner had been rehabbing in Cuba as he was trying to recover from his cocaine addiction.
During the negotiations, Maradona ended up being huckled by officers at Rome’s Fiumicino airport as he was caught up in an allegations of tax fraud to the tune of £16.6m.
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As those images were beamed across the world, the hopes of Maradona pulling on a Dundee shirt and taking to the field alongside Caniggia, Ketsbaia and Caballero were gone.
Within a few years all those big names were gone too as Dundee struggled to keep up with the wages that had been handed out.
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In that time top-half finishes in the league, two brief forays into Europe and a Scottish Cup final appearance in 2003
By the end of 2003 Dundee were forced to enter into administration and at the end of the 2004-05 season they were relegated to the old First Division.
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