The day the three Maradona brothers played for Granada

In the fall of 1987, Granada CF president Alfonso Suarez decided to make a statement - and it had to be bold and brash.

Granada had been promoted from the third to the second tier of Spanish football the previous season, but for Suarez that wasn't enough. He wanted fame, notoriety.

In the late 80s, there was a surefire way to do this. Sign the most famous name in football: Maradona.

Diego had won the World Cup a year earlier and followed that up with a league and cup double for Napoli. He was then out of reach of a Segunda Division side.

But that didn't deter Suarez (or another second-tier team at the time, Leeds United). With Diego off limits, he opted for Raul, better known as "Lalo", the second of the three Maradona brothers and Diego's junior by six years.

The signature, above all, was designed to attract attention. But there was hope that Lalo would be able to really produce with the ball at his feet.

He was 20 at the time and had made a few appearances as a substitute for Diego's former club Boca Juniors, as well as the Argentina U17 national team a few years earlier. He didn't have Diego's powerful physique but reports say he had a nice left foot.

Before Lalo's debut at Boca, Diego even told the Argentinian press that Lalo was "the best of the three". This kind of talk and the name he bore made Lalo precious.

Upon his arrival, Granada claimed to have paid 25 million Spanish pesetas (around €120,000 today) to Boca for his signing. Some reports suggest it could have been up to triple. Although nothing was ever confirmed by the parties involved, Diego reportedly met with Suarez and stipulated that Lalo should have a place in the team as a condition of his signing.

The deal, if true, was not without reward. Following Lalo's transfer to Andalusia, Diego would play a friendly match for Granada.

It was a huge blow for a relatively small club. The game was scheduled for November. In addition to Lalo and Diego, it would feature the youngest of the three male siblings, Hugo. Just 18 at the time, Hugo was also trying to make his way in the game and was signed by Ascoli in Italy's Serie B.

For some reason, Granada's chosen opponents were Swedish side Malmö, who had won three consecutive Allsvenskan titles under the tutelage of Roy Hodgson.

"Malmo FF, during an international break, were asked to bring a team to Granada - a second division team at the time in Spain - to play this game," Hodgson said last year.

"We haven't received any real details as to why Malmö should be invited to Granada to play a friendly exhibition match, but when we got there we found out the reason was that Diego Maradona was going to play in the game."

Diego himself seemed rather more enthusiastic about the prospect than South London's most urban football manager. "The wonderful idea of ​​Granada to reunite me with my brothers is a dream that I have always wanted to achieve," Diego told local press. "It will be the first time that we will all play together in an official match."

Unsurprisingly, the unrest in the city could hardly be contained. The whole Maradona clan was in town; mom, dad and sisters too. They were greeted at the airport by a crowd and fireworks.

"The entire Maradonas saga will be played out in Granada," read one headline, with the text below pointing out that three full pages were devoted to the game in the newspaper. Another led with, "Alfredo Suarez keeps his promise: today Diego Armando Maradona will wear the Granada shirt."

The Estadio Los Carmenes was packed, with locals crowding into every nook and cranny trying to catch a glimpse of Napoli's Argentine superstar as he went through his normal pre-match routine.

Unusually, Diego didn't wear #10, instead leaving it to Lalo and taking #9 and the captain's armband for himself. Hugo, a deeper midfielder, ended up with the No.8. We'd like to think a tongue-in-cheek chant of 'There are only three Maradonas' broke out, but maybe that's too far imagination.

El Diego grabbed the ball early, but a resounding challenge from a Swedish defender was quick to arrive. Despite his divine presence, it was Hodgson's well-trained Malmö side who took the lead in the first half.

But the Maradonas wouldn't hold their heads for long. Diego received a pass in Malmo's half, took it to his chest and as he did, Lalo ran past him and behind the defence. A perfect pass and a sharp finish and the scores were even.

Malmö took the lead in the second half, but...