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Milan - Diego Maradona on Monday ended his more than two-decade exile from Italy, where he famously led Napoli to their sole titles in the Serie A football championship.
The Argentine World Cup winner had not stepped foot in Italy since the 1990s when he left under a cloud amid claims of collusion with mafia dons and a positive drugs test for cocaine.
It was later claimed by the Italian authorities that Maradona owed the state millions of euros in unpaid taxes.
The former footballer arrived shortly after 13:00 (12:00 GMT) local time at Rome's Fiumicino airport wearing a black jacket, black suit and dark glasses.
Dozens of fans had turned up to see the Argentinian, many of whom shouted "Welcome back!" as he was driven away.
Maradona is set to watch his former club in Udinese on Monday and will then give a news conference on Tuesday, at which he is expected to speak about the tax issue.
Maradona was convicted in 2005 and ordered to pay €37.2m, including €23.5m in interest for late payments.
His lawyer recently claimed the Italian authorities had cleared the debt, thus allowing him to return to the country. But the tax authorities denied the claims.
Of his tax problems, Maradona said last year: "I am not a tax fraudster. I played football and other people signed for me," Maradona said last year.
"I am not afraid of returning to Italy. I never signed anything. The people who are really responsible are free and can walk around calmly in Naples and I can't. That's not fair.
"I want to return to Italy as a gentleman because I never stole anything from anyone."
Napoli, with whom Maradona won the league title in both 1987 and 1990, currently sit second in Serie A seven points behind leaders and champions Juventus.
The Argentine World Cup winner had not stepped foot in Italy since the 1990s when he left under a cloud amid claims of collusion with mafia dons and a positive drugs test for cocaine.
It was later claimed by the Italian authorities that Maradona owed the state millions of euros in unpaid taxes.
The former footballer arrived shortly after 13:00 (12:00 GMT) local time at Rome's Fiumicino airport wearing a black jacket, black suit and dark glasses.
Dozens of fans had turned up to see the Argentinian, many of whom shouted "Welcome back!" as he was driven away.
Maradona is set to watch his former club in Udinese on Monday and will then give a news conference on Tuesday, at which he is expected to speak about the tax issue.
Maradona was convicted in 2005 and ordered to pay €37.2m, including €23.5m in interest for late payments.
His lawyer recently claimed the Italian authorities had cleared the debt, thus allowing him to return to the country. But the tax authorities denied the claims.
Of his tax problems, Maradona said last year: "I am not a tax fraudster. I played football and other people signed for me," Maradona said last year.
"I am not afraid of returning to Italy. I never signed anything. The people who are really responsible are free and can walk around calmly in Naples and I can't. That's not fair.
"I want to return to Italy as a gentleman because I never stole anything from anyone."
Napoli, with whom Maradona won the league title in both 1987 and 1990, currently sit second in Serie A seven points behind leaders and champions Juventus.
