Emotions Took Over When Pochettino Met Former Roommate Diego Maradona

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed a very emotional side of him when he caught up with the Argentine legend Diego Maradona after more than two decades before his team thrashed Liverpool 4-1 at the Wembley on Sunday.

Both Pochettino and Maradona played together briefly and were in fact roommates for one season in 1993 at Argentine club Newell's Old Boys, when the former was a 21-year-old defender and Maradona was a World Cup winner and legend going through some troubled times in the twilight of his career.

In London for Monday's The Best FIFA Football Awards 2017, Maradona was the Spurs manager’s guest at the Wembley on Sunday, and watched the match beside club chairman Daniel Levy in the luxury box and made an appearance on the pitch at half-time, with his former Argentina teammate and Spurs legend Ossie Ardiles assisted as a translator.

"I saw him before in the manager's room. It was so emotional. It was difficult to let him go because you are in front of Maradona, you want to speak with him, stay with him and share a moment with him," an elated Pochettino quipped.

"It was so emotional because more than 20 years I didn't see him. To meet again, that's fantastic. For me he's the best player in football and he's massive. He remembered every single moment that we shared. We played at Newell's Old Boys.”

"He's fantastic not only on the pitch, but off the pitch. He's a great personality, character and person and I'm so happy and I hope to see him at the FIFA awards tomorrow."

Asked which players had met Maradona, Pochettino said: "It was only Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris, we introduced him to them. It wasn't in the changing room.”

A happy Pochettino remarked that the win, Spurs' second in the league at Wembley, a first over a direct rival, and could finally help to make the national stadium feel like home after they went winless in the first three league games at the beginning of the season.

"I am so happy, very pleased. The effort was fantastic. I want to congratulate our players after Tuesday in Madrid to be ready again to compete in a big game, in the way we started the game and played in the first 45 minutes," added Pochettino, after Kane's double and goals from Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli left Liverpool trailing leaders Man City by 12 points.

"I think it was very good. I am so pleased for the team, so pleased for our fans because we start to change that feeling that it was so difficult to play here at Wembley.

"We start to feel that it can be our home, Wembley, and that is so important for the rest of the season, to build that confidence."