Kolkata, December 7:

Football legend Diego Maradona today paid homage at Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity order in Kolkata at the end of his first visit to India. About 20,000 fans lined the roads leading to Mother House to catch a glimpse of the Argentine superstar, police said.

Maradona, 48, lit a candle and prayed at Mother Teresa’s tomb during a special mass before talking to the sisters and children — many of them orphans — who live at the home. It was set up by Mother Teresa in 1950 and she served the poor and the needy there until her death in 1997. “Maradona talked to the children and kissed their cheeks,” Sister Lysa said. “He said it was a great feeling, a dream come true, to come to Mother House and pay tribute to Mother Teresa.”

Maradona, recently appointed Argentina’s national coach, also visited Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, one of Asia’s oldest football clubs, and gave tips to players. Kolkata is the football centre of India, a country more widely known for its love of cricket. On Saturday, he spoke about his surprise at the frenzy that marked his visit to the country. “I did not know that I had so many fans in India and people of the country loved football so much,” he said.