Wife snatching saga: Lopez stopped Mafia from ruining rival’s career •I didn’t steal Nara from Lopez, we just fell in love —Icardi

MAXI LOPEZ was approached by members of the Mafia, who offered to “end Mauro Icardi’s football career” after he had an affair with his compatriot’s then-wife, according to reports in their native Argentina.

Icardi, who is nine years Lopez’s junior, was initially a fan while he was a youth-team player and Lopez was a striker — and then a team-mate of the more senior Argentine at Sampdoria.

But, their relationship hit the ultimate low when the current Inter captain began an affair with his ex-pal’s wife, Wanda Nara, before eventually ‘stealing’ her off him — and marrying her.

Things got even uglier when Icardi began posting images of himself on Twitter with Lopez’s children.

And Argentinian journalist, Carlos Monti, who works for Radio 10 claims the Mafia got involved to ‘help’ Lopez.

He claims two cars pulled up alongside the striker’s vehicle and offered to “finish him” or “end his football career” — they even asked if he wanted them to “break his legs.”

However, Lopez is reported to have declined the offer.

Icardi, meanwhile insists that he did not steal Wanda Nara.

“Everyone speaks about the Wanda issue without knowing the truth. When I started with her I played alongside Diego Milito, [Javier] Zanetti, [Esteban] Cabiasso, [Walter] Samuel, and they all knew the story because I told them,” he fired to Fox Sports.

“I was a friend of the couple, an acquaintance, and it was all very normal. After that, Wanda split up and we kept in contact, and it just happened.

“I fell in love, that’s something you should judge solely on its own merits. But [Lopez] was not my best friend, nothing like that. We were colleagues in Sampdoria, nothing else.”