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I’m an international pop superstar who bizarrely performed with Diego Maradona – now I live in a tiny flat in Nottingham
He even had the opportunity to sing for a key member of the Royal Family
AN international pop superstar who bizarrely performed with Diego Maradona now lives in a tiny Nottingham flat.
Charles Anthony, 50, saw all of his "struggles disappear" when he was given the opportunity to sing happy birthday to the now-late footballing ace.
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After only being able to showcase his talent through hotel entertainment gigs for 13 years, Charles landed the performance of a lifetime.
The Indian-born artist took centre stage at Maradona's 52nd birthday party before being joined by the legend himself.
Charles told The Sun they did a rendition of Maradona's favourite song by Andrea Bocelli - Bésame Mucho.
Seemingly now a favourite of Maradona's, Charles received a call from him in 2016 asking for a duet again.
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Charles said: "I was performing in the hotel industry from 1997-2010 where I’d been part of the entertainment team, then started on solo acoustic shows.
"I then got to sing with the great Maradona and all my struggles went. In one shot I got everything.
"He ended up joining me on stage and we sang his favourite song, Bésame Mucho. I thought it was a one-time experience but then he visited Calcutta in 2016.
"He called me to attend an event with him for around 40,000 people. He came and shook my hand and he was really happy to see me. We sang an Italian, a Spanish and a Cuban song."
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Charles, who can sing in 18 foreign languages, made the move to Britain last year where he settled down in Barnsley, south Yorks.
After a six-month stint up north, he and his family relocated to Nottingham, where they now live in a flat.
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Despite his humble abode, Charles said his career is only improving since landing in the UK.
He added: "This really is a multicultural country with people from all over the world and because I can sing in lots of different languages, I can perform for lots of people."
And Maradona isn't the only celeb Charles has rubbed shoulders with - claiming he had the opportunity to sing for former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles.
He said: "I’ve also sang with the West Indies Cricket Team, Italy’s Prime Minister and the Prince of Saudi Arabia.
"When Italian footballer Alessandro Del Piero turned 40 in 2015, I sang him happy birthday too.
"I was invited to sing for Rishi Sunak and King Charles but I couldn’t do it because I was touring in the US.
"It was a golden opportunity, I would have loved to have sung one of King Charles’ favourite songs.
"I will definitely sing for him one day. My dream is to sing for him."
Argentinian icon Maradona died in 2020 after suffering a heart attack.
Known for having a long-standing cocaine addiction, it is believed his sudden death was brought on by a "toxic substance".
During his sensational career for club and country, Maradona won 11 trophies, one World Cup and three leagues.
Football icon Diego Maradona’s death
BY Robin Perrie
FOOTBALL great Diego Maradona’s death is linked to cocaine, a medical report suggests.
The World Cup winner’s fatal heart attack in November 2020 came on suddenly and may have been brought on by a “toxic substance”, it says.
Maradona, who was recovering from a brain op, had a long-standing cocaine addiction.
It casts new light on the criminal case against eight doctors and nurses about to go on trial over how they cared for Maradona in his final hours.
They are accused of leaving the 60-year-old in agony for hours as his condition worsened.
The eight, who include his psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, face 25 years in jail if convicted.
Mr Cosachov’s lawyer said: “There could have been two causes: one natural and the other, a product of the ingestion of a toxic substance.”
Maradona died aged 60 on November 25, 2020, at a rented property near Buenos Aires following brain surgery two weeks earlier.
The death of Argentina’s greatest ever player stunned the country.
Within days of the legend's death his family and legions of fans were demanding answers.
Cops raided his doctors' homes and offices and a panel of 20 medical experts was appointed to investigate his death.
More than 200 witnesses will give evidence at the trial in Buenos Aires which is expected to last several months.
In just 490 appearances, he scored 259 goals.
The football legend was awarded the Golden Ball trophy in 1986 for being the best player at the tournament in Mexico.
Now, the award is expected to sell “for millions” after it resurfaced and goes up for auction with the French company Aguttes.
The auction house said it was difficult to give an estimate on just what it would sell for due to its uniqueness.
Aguttes house sport expert, Francois Thierry, said there are lots of stories and legends swirling about the trophy - but they had undertaken the necessary checks and even contacted the police.
Mr Thierry said: “Used far too often wrongly, the word ‘legend’ fits Diego Maradona perfectly.
“He is to football what Mohamed Ali is to boxing or Michael Jordan to basketball, an iconic icon who goes far beyond the boundaries of his sport.
“He is certainly one of the most human athletes we have ever known, with his strengths and weaknesses.
“The golden kid ‘El Pibe de Oro’ also nicknamed ‘the God of football’, is a special case in the history of world football, a raw and instinctive talent, in a career punctuated by strokes of brilliance with both success and excess.
“The history of football with a capital H is closely linked to that of Maradona.”
Since the 1982 FIFA World Cup, the Golden Ball has rewarded the best player of the tournament, making it one of the most prestigious individual distinctions in the game.
Maradona received the Golden Ball trophy at Lido in Paris on November 13, 1986, as the best player of the World Cup.
When it does go up for sale it will be the first time a Golden Ball trophy has been presented at auction.
While many football fans will view the 1986 tournament as a standout, many England fans will remember it for Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal.
Maradona infamously outjumped England keeper Peter Shilton to punch his first goal into the net using his raised fist, which he later described as being scored by the "Hand of God".
Just four minutes later though he scored again in a goal which was voted as the "Goal of the Century" in a Fifa poll.
Picking the ball up in his own half he then beat five England players before scoring his second goal.
It comes as the training ground once home to Maradona is now being revived by a Ballon d'Or winner.
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And, fellow footie icon Gary Lineker, opened up about being offered a Maradona interview at 4am in a nightclub.
Plus, it was revealed the late Maradona's agent once tried to secure the Argentina legend a Premier League manager's job at Aston Villa.
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