Diego Maradona and Football Banknotes

The world mourns the death of Diego Maradona, the best footballer of the 1980’s and probably the 1990’s. Some people started following football when Pele was a start. For some, it was the great Maradona. He was Messi before Messi. We all know that Ronaldo is the best footballer of the last 20 years, but before that it is hard to argue against the Argentinian.

Maradona’s prowess on the pitch made his a global superstar and personality, so much so that he has his own banknote. More on that later.

Banknote With Footbal Themes

Football is the world’s most popular sport. Its presence has been felt even on banknotes. The most famous football banknote is probably the 2018 100 Ruble (P-280a) which was issued to coincide with the 2018 FIFA World Cup being hosted in Russia. This banknote has a dynamic image of a goalie making a save and a child holding a ball looking in awe at the goalie. The 2017 Maldives Five Rufiyaa 2017 is an interesting polymer football banknote. In 2014 Singapore also issued a 10 dollar polymer note that included images of football. This note celebrated a range of sports.  In 1991 Lithuania produced a commemorative 50 Centauru that showed 2 footballers competing over a ball. 

The Zero Euro series of novelty notes include a large series with Russian players. These are prints from 2018, to coincide with the Russian FIFA World Cup. There was also a test note celebrating the life of Footballer- Puskas Ferenc. This appears to be a combined house note from Jura and the Hunmgarian Banknote Printer.

Diego Maradona Featured on Argentine Banknotes

Back to the Maradona banknote. 1983 1 Argentinian Peso notes (P-311a) were overprinted with “Ai tifosi di Napoli cordialmente, signed by Diego #10”. This is a message of thanks to the fans of the Napoli Football Club. A similar 500 Peso is also overprinted. For Maradona fans, these are extremely collectable.