“He’s told me to tell you that if you leave with any of his bitches, he’ll have you shot.”
After a concert in Argentina in the late nineties, Liam and Noel Gallagher were drinking with their Oasis bandmates in a Buenos Aires bar when they learned that football icon Diego Maradona was in the same building. Naturally, they were keen to meet him and so ordered their interpreter to see if this could be arranged.
As part of an interview given to Noisey, Liam discussed the memorable encounter, explaining how Maradona only allowed he and his brother to meet him, later presenting them with a stern warning.
“We were in Argentina and we’d done a gig,” Liam says. “The next minute we’re sat in the bar having a fucking drink and about 30 people have come legging it in.
“It was like the Ant Hill Mob, and we’re going “Who the fucking hell’s that?”
“Sting was at the bar crying ‘cos he’d fucking had his dressing room robbed.
“So I found out it was Maradona who’d gone upstairs with a load of fucking madheads and a load of fucking women of the night.
“So we were going “Look can we just go up and meet him?” to the fucking interpreter and the interpreter’s gone “Alright cool, let me just go and fucking square it with him.””
Having left the rest of their bandmates in the bar, the brothers made their way upstairs to a private room above.
“We steamed up there and there was fucking loads of activity going on,” Liam continued.
“Maradona’s in the middle of the room fucking doing football tricks with a bottle top… I was going “Look, it’s a bit moody in here, let’s get a quick picture with him and we’ll fuck off.
“He’s fucking sweating his bollocks off and we turn around and say “What did he just say?”
“He [the interpreter] says “He’s told me to tell you that if you leave with any of his bitches, he’ll have you shot.””
Presumably, the Gallaghers left the bar alone.
