'Diego Maradona paid for my first-ever nudes – the money paid for college and a car'

The late Diego Maradona gave a young glamour model a big leg-up at the start of her career by funding a naked photoshoot – before she flashed the cash on college and a car

Posted Monday, November 27, 2023 by Dailystar.co.uk

Diego Maradona pictured a few months before his death in November 2020

A stunning model spent a Diego Maradona-funded naked photoshoot on college and a car.

The Argentina icon – regarded by many as the greatest player in football history – died of a heart attack aged 60 three years ago today (November 25). Maradona was brilliant and controversial in equal measure, both during and after his illustrious playing career, which featured a World Cup win in 1986 and two Serie A titles with Napoli.

He was also renowned for his wild lifestyle off the pitch, which often involved drugs and beautiful women. One of those women, it is claimed, was Antonela Avellaneda, who went on to become a reality TV star and Playboy model.

For Avellaneda, a Maradona fanatic, the shoot was a dream come true. She told Splash this summer: "Diego is the love of my life. My star, idol. I met him when I was very young. I sold this type of shoot. It was just exclusive. My video never went viral. We did shoots in more exotic places, with exotic costumes."

Well before the days of social media, Avellaneda explained how she got Maradona's attention. She said: "I sold it to him in a book. It was really cool. He was able to see in me a star and beauty that I didn't realise. For me, it was a huge force, a star of his size and he spoke to me: 'You are the most famous woman I know in my life'. For me, it was an honour. I miss him so much."

Antonela Avellaneda had her first naked photoshoot funded by Diego Maradona

Antonela Avellaneda spent the money on college and a new Corsa

On what she did with the money, she revealed: "I was 18 years old, I paid for Digital Marketing college. I helped my family. I set up a store, I bought a car at the time, a Corsa. It was my first car, it was great.

"I invested in my career in modelling. I travelled to Chile, to Mexico. For me, it was very good because, otherwise, I would never have arrived in Brazil."

Antonela Avellaneda once posed for Playboy

Antonela Avellaneda now sells racy content to VIP clients

Avellaneda, who was born in Argentina but is a naturalised Brazilian citizen, made headlines when she posed for Playboy Portugal in 2019. She had previously been on the cover of the men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine two times more, in 2003 and 2004 respectively. She does not use the popular adult content sharing site OnlyFans, instead selling to VIP clients.

"It's directly with me through my Instagram, exclusive content," she explained. "As I've already done Playboy, my exposure has already been too much. I do rehearsals every week, but I sell exclusively to VIP clients."