Diego Maradona Talks Dries Mertens Beating His Napoli Record, Wants Him to Stay

Diego Maradona said he was pleased for Dries Mertens after the Belgian surpassed his goal tally for Napoli with a brace against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. 

Maradona, who scored 115 goals for Napoli, was overtaken as the Partenopei's all-time top scorer in 2017 by Marek Hamsik, and Mertens became the second player to move beyond him.

The Argentinian told Corriere dello Sport (h/t Football Italia): "For me, it wasn't a disappointment. In fact, I applauded Mertens. When he scored, I thought about Napoli and certainly not myself."

Mertens opened the scoring after 17 minutes when he rifled home from a tight angle, which pulled him level with Maradona.

He added a second in the 64th minute, lashing in Kevin Malcuit's cross (U.S. and UK only, respectively):

"Mertens was born to be a striker, but he didn't know," Maradona added. "All his goals couldn't be scored by someone who isn't a striker at heart."

After scoring 34 goals in his first three seasons at Napoli while operating as a winger, Mertens notched the same tally in a single campaign when manager Maurizio Sarri used him as a centre-forward to replace Gonzalo Higuain in the 2016-17 season.

He followed that up with 22 goals in the 2017-18 campaign and 19 last season.

This season, he now has seven goals to his name in 10 appearances. The 32-year-old also registered his second assist of the season when he set up Lorenzo Insigne for a late winner in the 3-2 victory over Salzburg, after Erling Haaland had netted a brace of his own.

Mertens is in the final year of his contract at the Stadio San Paolo amid rumours linking him with the Chinese Super League, and Maradona appealed to club chief Aurelio De Laurentiis to keep him:

"I'd like to do something so that Mertens doesn't leave. If it's right and sacrosanct for a professional to always look for a better salary, but it's also true that in no other corner of the world would he feel loved, respected, pampered and important like he does in Naples.

"Therefore, dear president, don't let him get away. He's over 30 years old, I know, but he runs, plays and scores goals with the freshness and enthusiasm of a young lad."

If Mertens does leave the Serie A club, the 58-year-old said the forward would "always have a place" at Gimnasia de La Plata, the club the legend began coaching in September after leaving Mexican outfit Dorados in June.

The striker needs just six goals to overtake Hamsik's 121 to become Napoli's all-time top scorer, so he'll almost certainly have achieved that by the time his contract expires if he remains fit.

He'll also turn 33 next May. While he'd be a significant loss to Carlo Ancelotti's side, the club may be unable to compete with the lucrative wages that could be on offer to him, and at his age they might be better off looking to a younger player who can inherit his mantle.

Whenever he does move on, he'll leave Napoli a club legend.