THEY couldn’t let him down and they didn’t. The three European clubs graced by Diego Maradona during his playing days all returned to league action at the weekend for the first time since his death at the age of 60 last week.

Motivated by a desire to pay the Argentine legend a fitting tribute, Barcelona, Napoli and Sevilla all duly won their respective matches, the celebrations tinged with a nostalgic sadness at the passing of one of their club’s greatest ever players.

Barcelona have endured a fairly wretched start to the season on Ronald Koeman’s watch but ran out comfortable 4-0 winners against Osasuna.

Maradona’s two-year stint at the Nou Camp from 1982 to 1984 remains a case of what-might-have-been if not for injuries. The Catalan club hung up a framed, signed shirt of his in the presidential box before the players held a minute’s silence before kick-off in front of an old Barcelona top bearing the number 10.

Goals from Martin Braithwaite, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho settled the outcome of the contest within an hour but the most telling contribution of the match arrived after 73 minutes.

The argument will rage for some time whether Lionel Messi or Maradona deserve to be considered the greatest of all-time but Messi undoubtedly remains a class act. Knocking in Barca’s fourth goal, the 33 year-old raised his shirt to reveal a Newell’s Old Boys top underneath, the Argentine club both he and Maradona once represented, before raising his hands to acknowledge the image of his predecessor on the stadium’s giant screen.

Messi, in fact, almost paid tribute earlier in the match with his own Hand of God moment as he appeared to contemplate helping Braithwaite’s goal in with his arm as the ball sailed over his head before quickly pulling it away again.

If Maradona is just one of a legion of stellar players to have played for Barcelona, he is undoubtedly the greatest ever to have passed through the doors of Napoli.

After almost single-handedly delivering the only two Serie A titles in the club’s history, the Argentine has been feted and worshipped as a god in the city of Naples ever since.

No European city felt his passing more and his successors in the Napoli team duly did him proud with a 4-0 routing of AS Roma.

Eschewing their usual all blue strips, the players instead adorned Argentina-style blue and white stripes at the Stadio San Paolo – a venue that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has suggested ought to be renamed in Maradona’s honour.

As with Messi, it was appropriate that captain Lorenzo Insigne scored, a player born and bred in Naples who understands more than most the region’s fixation with Maradona. Insigne’s celebration involved reaching for an old Maradona shirt and kissing it.

“The circumstances certainly gave us extra motivation as we wanted to pay homage to our idol,” said Insigne.

“It hurts and we cared more than ever to put in a great performance for him and the city that is suffering.”

Maradona’s season at Sevilla isn’t spoken about with the same hushed reverence but they did not stint in their marking of his passing either.

Their players took to the field on Saturday night for their match against Huesca wearing a specially-created shirt based on the kit worn by Maradona in 1992/93, each with the number 10 on the back.

There was a moment’s silence before music by Argentine legend Carlos Gardel filled the air. Sevilla won the match 1-0.

Sporting director Monchi, Maradona’s former team-mate, said: “There is no better tribute than going out onto the field in a shirt that reminds us all of when Diego used to play for us."

Elsewhere in Europe, there were setbacks for PSG who were held 2-2 at home by Bordeaux, Juventus who could only draw 1-1 with minnows Benevento, and Borussia Dortmund who were beaten 2-1 at home to Cologne.