Colonel left Coolidge confused about famous footballer’s first name (5)

I believe the answer is:

diego

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'famous footballer's first name' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'colonel left coolidge confused' is the wordplay.
'colonel' becomes 'col'.
'left' suggests deleting specific letters.
'confused' indicates anagramming the letters.
'coolidge' with 'col' taken out is 'oidge'.
'oidge' anagrammed gives 'DIEGO'.

'about' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for diego that I've seen before include "San --, -- Garcia" , "Possibly Maradona" , "Spanish male forename" , "Spaniard potentially" , "Spanish name" .)

I've seen this clue in The Hindu.

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