11/26/2020 10:13 AM
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 11/26/2020 10:13 AM
In the midst of the massive wake for Diego Maradona at Casa Rosada, President Alberto Fernández broke down this Thursday when he recalled an anecdote of the idol at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
"Whenever I talked to him we would remember the goal (against England) in '86. He told me that in the dressing room he told his teammates that in Argentina there were many sad people.
'And I had an obligation to make those people happy.'
"said the president in an interview with
Continental radio
.
With a broken voice, Fernández explained that last night (on Wednesday), he mentioned the issue to goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea, Diego's teammate in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, who confirmed the veracity of the anecdote.
"He said yes. That was what he always told them. The only moment of happiness (for the people) was seeing being able to see Argentina in the game. That is unique. I never saw a person think like that. Never.
He was not thinking about his glory, but about how to give happiness to the number of unhappy people in Argentina, "he
reflected, moved.
And he declared: "The only word for Diego is thank you. Maradona only made us happy. He did not do anything else. The truth is that I can only say thank you."
Alberto is a fan of Argentinos Juniors, the first team where the Diez played.
Photo: AFP.
Asked about how he found out about the death of the idol, Fernández recalled that on Wednesday at noon he was working with the Chief of Staff, Santiago Cafiero, when the Secretary of Communication and Press of the Presidency,
Juan Pablo Biondi
, entered the office to give them the news .
"Today I had to travel to Venado Tuerto and tomorrow to Chaco. We were organizing those events. Then Juan Pablo Biondi comes in and says: 'Maradona died'. 'What !?', I say. 'Where did he come out?'
"For now it is only on the Clarín website,"
he replied. The truth is that I was hoping it was not real news. But at the minute it was everywhere, "Alberto said.
"There I collapsed, as we all collapsed. It is a huge sadness what happened to us. It is incomprehensible. Nobody expected this could happen to Maradona," he added.
Regarding the repercussions of the death among other world leaders, the head of state said that "only there" did he take "an idea of how things are."
Diego and Alberto, during a meeting at the Casa Rosada, at the end of 2019. Photo: AFP
"It was a very sad day. I was moved to receive messages from other presidents in solidarity with the loss of someone very important, which evidently filled many in the world with happiness."
In addition, he gave details of his conversation with Claudia Villafañe, who asked him to hold the wake at Casa Rosada: "
Claudia cried a lot.
I tried to reassure her and simply said: 'I am at your disposal. I spoke this morning with the president of Argentinos Juniors, there is the field and of course the Casa Rosada. I do what you decide. '
"She told me that she had spoken with her daughters and that
they believed Diego would have liked it to go to Government House
. So I went to work and it was done. She was very sick. I know Claudia, she is a person extraordinary and had a lot of love for Diego, beyond the luck of his marriage, "he added.
The President closed with a reflection: "Clearly Diego was not well. In March he had a bad knee, it was difficult for him to walk and he was degrading. We have demanded of him what we do not demand of anyone, that he be a model. And he was a human being with his strengths, weaknesses, his miseries, like everyone else.
I don't know why we demand so much of him. We were very ruthless with him.
He tried to be happy as he could. "
JPE
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