Diego Maradona visited Algeria in 2013, and during a visit to inaugurate the launch of the 3G network for Mobilis, a telephone operator, he made headlines with his comments at a press conference. Maradona humorously remarked, “I hope that 3G in Algeria will be as fast as I was on the ground.” While the exact amount of his fee for the promotion was not disclosed, reports suggested it could be around one million euros.
However, the most notable incident occurred during a Mobilis evening at the Hilton in Algiers, where Maradona kissed his partner in the middle of dinner, causing a stir and leading to criticism on social media for disrespecting local customs. His brief visit of around twenty-four hours sparked a national scandal in Algeria.
