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So we’ve all heard the story of how Sheffield United once turned down the chance to sign Diego Maradona, right?

It’s been well documented over the years but legend had it that United could not afford the transfer fee so walked away, turning down the chance to sign one of the world’s greatest ever players.

But that is far from the case. The cost of the deal was not the sticking point.

It all centred on a scouting trip to Argentina that also saw United pass on the chance of signing Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa.

For a long time, clubs had never really looked at Argentina for players because of the culture difference. The infamous team of the 1966 World Cup, with the likes of Antonio Rattin, was still very much in people’s minds. However, the 1978 World Cup, with the ticker tape and atmosphere, fired people’s imaginations. United took the opportunity later that year to join representatives from Tottenham by flying out on a scouting mission.

Journalist Tony Pritchett, United manager Harry Haslam and director John Hassle joined Spurs manager Keith Burkinshaw and his travelling party on a plane to Buenos Aires. Deals for Alex Sabella, a squad player in the Argentina squad for that year’s World Cup, and Pedro Verde were already cut and dried before they went out but the Blades still wanted to see who else could catch their eye.

It is believed United already had deals in place for Ardiles and Villa, but during conversations on the plane between United and Tottenham’s representatives, United decided against going through with the deals and handed the initiative to Burkinshaw and co, who signed them and brought them back to White Hart Lane.

With nothing much catching United’s eye, it looked like it would be a pointless trip until they were approached by Boca Juniors to take a look at a promising 17-year-old by the name of Diego Armando Maradona.

John Garrett, of Sheffield United’s Legends Of The Lane, picks up the story.

He said: “Already out there for United was Oscar Arce, an Argentine who was a coach at United and had played for Villa in 1968. He was acting as an interpreter and Rattin, a legend at Boca Juniors, was also involved. The United travelling party were taken to the outskirts of Buenos Aires to Boca’s training ground to watch this kid put through his paces. Haslam was mesmerised by him and straight away said ‘I’ll take him, how much?’

“Boca wanted £150,000 for him, which was not the end of the world when you think we were just a year away from Nottingham Forest spending £1m on Trevor Francis. It was more than affordable for United and they were happy and wanted to do the deal.”

Haslam went back to his hotel room that night thinking he had his man in the bag and happy with his day’s work but then came an intervention that made Haslam feel uneasy about the deal.

“At the time, Argentina was run by the military junta, a right-wing coup that overthrew the then president,” said Garrett. “That night, Haslam’s in his room relaxing thinking he’s got this wonder kid and then gets a knock at the door from a member of the military police, someone like Eric Estrada in Chips, who has turned up at the hotel.

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“He’s saying that he has heard we’re paying Boca £150,000 for this player and if United want the military to let Diego out of the country, they would like a payment of £150,000 too. So not only have you got a figure of £300,000, which I would imagine is getting towards a fair amount of cash for an untried 17-year-old, but the main problem was that it was starting to get a bit political.

“The total of £300,000 was not really a problem, United could afford it. But a bribe to the military police to get him out the country was not something United were comfortable with. Once the board of directors got wind of the fact that this was now getting a little bit hairy, they wanted nothing to do with it.

“It was never the money that was a problem. United weren’t baulking on the money, had Boca said £300k they would have paid it, it was just the minute the junta got involved United ran a mile. Historically over the years the managers have, generally speaking, been given the money to buy the players they wanted. United have always been famed for paying the right money and Ian Porterfield was one of the highest paid managers in the country at the time he was boss, so United have never really been afraid to spend money. It was just purely and simply the fact that the military junta had got involved and it scared United a little bit as to what they were getting involved in.”

With thanks to John Garrett, of Sheffield United's Legends Of The Lane. To find out more about the Legends Of The Lane Tours visit www.sufc.co.uk