Carlos Bilardo, the 71-year-old general manager of Argentina (pictured left), has made an unusual promise to whoever brings World Cup glory to his country.
Guardian reporter Sid Lowe has quoted the former international as saying, "If Argentina win the World Cup I'll let whoever scores the winning goal do me up the arse."
Bilardo was manager of Argentina when they won the trophy in 1986 thanks in part to a sparkling performance from current manager Diego Maradona.
It is not clear if Maradona was rewarded in any way by Bilardo for his display.
Meanwhile, Argentina star Lionel Messi has said he is ‘sure’ his county can go all the way at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The Fifa World Player of the Year told Fifa’s official website, “My dream is to win it, come what may.”
He continued, “I imagine myself reaching the final, winning it and lifting the cup. How we will reach there, I have not even thought about it, but I am sure we will win it.”
Argentina struggled in the qualifiers and have not been heavily backed to win the tournament. However, Messi believes it would be a mistake to write-off his national side.
The forward added, “The qualifiers are behind us, for one reason or another we had to make a big effort, but this is totally distinct.
“I think it is normal that Argentina are a title contender, we have great players and we are a big national team that are always fighting for titles."
Messi was quick to praise manager Diego Maradona saying his experience of World Cups would prove invaluable.
The Barca player continued, “We have a lot of faith and hope, and obviously Diego's experience will be essential.”
from joe.ie
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