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Maradona - RIP

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8858

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He was an amazing soccer player and a despicable human being who grew up in a shitty community on the other side of a river of sewage from the city proper of Buenos Aires.

In 2013 I was running a small tour company and giving city tours and I was contracted by a Italian production company that was going to go to four different countries and film vignettes in the run up to the selection for the 2014 World Cup. I took the film crew on a tour of the city and we hit the area where Diego grew up.

There were people playing a ~league soccer game (they were wearing jerseys and had a ref) on a hard dirt field that only allowed for ~7-v-7. One player got knocked as he was running and he tumbled to the ground, kept rolling, and quickly bounced up in a cloud of dust like Pigpen from "Peanuts". They must have had to learn to tumble when they fell, because sliding would have resulted in scraped skin from ankle-to-hip.

There was a little fire of trash(?)... (or maybe something to keep someone warm) that had been abandoned about 3 feet off of the railroad track that ran along the berm next to the river... The Riachuelo... that finishes running out of the La Boca neighborhood into the main Rio de la Plata. La Boca was the first port and the social club, Boca Juniors, was founded by Italian immigrants that worked grunt labor carrying shit on-and-off off the ships in the port. It was the pinnacle of working class dreams to play for that club.

Further down the road from Diego's neighborhood, as we were heading back into town, we saw people on "paco", which is basically crack with the addition of bug spray. Whoever introduced paco to the ghettos ("villas") of Buenos Aires was obviously looking to wipe out the poor. They were like tweekers, but with an inner ear problem and low energy. It was pretty grim, but Diego had made it out. (And paco arrived in the 2000s.)

But Diego was small and unlike for Messi, growth hormones didn’t find their way to working class kids with soccer skills in the ‘70s, so he started off with another club... Argentina Juniors and made his pro debut at aged 15. (My guess is that he left school long before that.)

I was told by at least a few people that for the 1978 World Cup at the age of 17 or 18, Diego would go out and perform juggling tricks before some of the World Cup matches that took place in Buenos Aires. (I've never found videos of that, but more than a couple of people told me this.)

He was like Dennis Rodman in a way, if Rodman was a shittier human being, someone who came from nothing, made a shit load of money, won championship, and loved the good life. Southern Italy pulled for Argentina vs Italy in the semifinal of the 1990 World Cup held IN ITALY, because Diego had brought two championships to Naples and the northern Italian assholes, who always looked down on the southerners like they were sub-human, had been humbled by this Argie of Italian descent who returned to Italia as a hero.

Everyone knows about 1986 on the field, but the match with England was much bigger than just a World Cup quarterfinal. It was the first time that Argentina & England had met since Argentina had gotten their asses handed to them by the British military after the Argentine military dictatorship (that had had huge support from Republican US presidents and the CIA) had invaded a couple of islands that had been under British rule for about 150 years. The invasion was supposed to be a distraction from political unrest, but like most conflicts, the poorest of the poor took the brunt of the invasion and the wounds were still raw in 1986. That win was payback for the suffering from the Falklands War in 1982.

He nearly led Argentina to a win again in 1990, but his #1 side kick, attacker Claudio Cannigia (also a cocaine loving Argie of Italian descent), picked up a yellow in the semis and was suspended for the final. Due to that suspension's impact on the final, the FIFA changed its rules for the World Cup regarding yellow card suspensions affecting the finals.

He was idolized by the poor and was an embarrassment to the upper classes, if not despised as a shameful example to the world of what Argentines were like. Even man of the educated people of Argentina, who loved him as a player, were a little embarrassed by his actions and the attention that he would bring, but how do you tell a national hero "No!"?

After Argentina qualified for the 2010 World Cup in a rainstorm with a very late goal, Diego went nuts and did a head first slip-n-slide type dive on the soaked pitch. He had received tons of criticism after he took over during qualifying because he was an absolutely horrible manager and the team had suffered some embarrassing results that put their World Cup qualifying in doubt. (Getting destroyed 6-1 by Bolivia due to horrible tactics/strategy 2 miles above sea level.) So in the hall outside of the locker room he held an impromptu press conference where he was basically yelling "Suck it! And keep sucking it!" This was the national team head coach... and this outburst was met with a silent shaking of the head by many Argentines I knew, but they had qualified and that was what was most important. Even calmed down, in his press conference, he repeated this. "Que la chupan y sigan chupando!"

The team rocked until they got thrashed by Germany in quarters and Diego was thankfully not retained. 

He was so very Argentine. Talented, Italian descent, undersized, unfiltered, an embarrassment, a legend, and everyone had an opinion when his name came up.

Q.E.P.D. EL D10S

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8858

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1 hour ago, HenryJames said:

I mean the assist against Brazil.

 

D8BD1135-3215-49C7-99ED-0944A0B3748C.png

This was the assist (and goal) that was the basis for the 2014 World Cup song in Argentina and the Argentines who over to Brazil.

 The song basically calls out Brazil, tells them that their daddy is in the house, recounts this assist and goal and states that Brazil has been crying ever since. (Please ignore Brazil’s 2 World Cups, 2 Confederations Cups, and at least one Copa Americas between that nutmeg and 2014.✊)

I had various videos of the song being sung incessantly on the subway and in the center of town immediately after the semifinal victory, but that was all stolen in 2017. 

Anyway, here’s the song and a video of the obnoxious Argentines taking over a chunk of Brazil singing the song  

Lyrics to Argentina’s 2014 World Cup song

Brasil, decime que se siente

Tener en casa a tu papá

Te juro que aunque pasen los años

Nunca nos vamos a olvidar

Que el Diego los gambeteó

Que el Cani los vacunó

Que están llorando

De Italia hasta hoy

A Messi lo vas a ver

La Copa nos va a traer

Maradona es más grande que Pelé

 

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alincoln

alincoln 2391

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His run against England in 86 is clearly the greatest goal in soccer history given the context.  His elevation of Napoli to the Serie A title is also arguably the greatest feat achieved by a single player in club football history.  Italian football in the late 80s really has no peer and Maradona's Napoli were right there among the giants. 

The best German, Dutch, Brazilian and Argentinian players plied their trade in Serie A in the late 80s in what was also a Golden age for the Italian national team.  The list of top scorers in the 89-90 Serie A season (which Napoli won, while AC Milan won the European Cup, Juve won the UEFA Cup and Sampdoria won the Cup Winners Cup) is ridiculous.

Van Basten, Baggio, Maradona, Schillaci, Voller, Klinsmann, Mancini, Matthaus, Careca.   

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Woodrow Call

Woodrow Call 494

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I appreciated his populist views. He went after the Pope and the Catholic church after a visit. 

"I went into the Vatican and saw that golden roof," Maradona said of his 2000 visit. "And I said to myself how could somebody be such a son of b---- as to live with a golden roof and then go to poor countries and kiss children with a full belly? I stopped believing."

"I've been to the Vatican and seen the gold ceilings. And then I hear the pope saying that the church was concerned about poor kids. So? Sell the ceilings, mate!" 

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achooloco

achooloco 1087

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The pics of Maradona and queen are kind of a mind fuck. Just crazy imagining the same icons existing in the same time period and actually.. well snorting a shit ton of skiis. People ask who’d you like to have dinner with In history  but I’d trade all that shit to go Peruvian marching with Maradona and queen. Talk about a fucking bad ass night! 

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8858

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My English friend, Sam Kelly, has a podcast that focuses mainly on Argentine league play, but will give the national team some attention on occasion.  He's based in Buenos Aires and occasionally writes for ESPN as well.

His podcast, THE HAND OF POD, dedicated the entirety of episode #386 to talking about Diego Armando Maradona. Sam & another Brit, plus 3 Argentines this week. The podcast is all in English, but some of the pronunciations of names and slums will have that perfect Spanish accent that a latin TV news journalist will use when covering a story with Spanish words/names in it. (Even Sam does this with his Spanish, because he's got an Argentine novia.)

Twitter:


Several of the retweets come with glowing endorsements of the roughly 1 hour and 48 minute podcast. 


The direct link to the podcast is here: 

I think that I will listen to this over the next couple of days. Sam does a good job, so I'm sure that this will give a good idea of how Diego's mystique ruled over the country of Argentina and Argentine fútbol.

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8858

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NOTE: The sound quality is not great. 

Whether people are spread apart in a room or maybe one or two people are calling in, but the sound isn't great.

Even the #2 English guy has great (Argentine) Spanish pronunciation, but his intermittent inflections of his voice can probably be a little maddening and doesn't go great with the sound quality.

The Argentines do love to pause and do that *tsk* sound when pausing to think of what they are going to say next.

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  • 5 months later...
WBT

WBT 21040

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7 charged in Maradonna's death.  Wtf?

https://www.tmz.com/2021/05/20/diego-maradona-death-7-people-charged-with-homicide/

Spoiler

7 PEOPLE CHARGED WITH HOMICIDE... After Shocking Investigation

 
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5/20/2021 5:51 AM PT
 
9939a10d90a4428bb3770cc250af3179_md.jpg

Bombshell news out of Argentina where SEVEN people have been charged with homicide in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona.

Maradona passed away back in November from heart failure -- just 2 weeks after undergoing brain surgery. He was only 60.

The Maradona family had suspected there was something fishy behind his death -- which led to a special investigation into the situation.

Police in Argentina raided the house and private clinic of Dr. Leopoldo Luque (the surgeon who performed the brain operation) in the days following Maradona's death -- and clearly, they believe they found enough evidence to prove criminal wrongdoing.

Now, prosecutors in San Isidro, Argentino have announced 7 people -- including Dr. Luque -- have been charged with "simple homicide with eventual intent," according to ESPN.

 
8c5dd44b0e5b44e79c097ee11a190263_md.jpg

The other 6 people facing charges include Maradona's psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov -- along with 2 nurses and other medical professionals.

If convicted, they each face up to 25 years in prison.

According to reports, prosecutors believe there is evidence showing Maradona received insufficient medical care following the brain surgery.

In other words, they believe Maradona's death could have been prevented had the medical team performed their jobs correctly.

It's unclear WHY prosecutors believe the medical team, failed to perform their duties -- some have suggested a nefarious motive.

The case is scheduled to go in front of a judge on May 31 -- and the world will be watching.

 

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8858

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8 hours ago, Firemans4Horn said:

Argentina has been a banana republic for 70 years. This story is sadly unsurprising. 

Much longer than 70 years. MUCH!

But don't feel like listing all of the examples.

Basically close to its independence.

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