A year without Maradona.
Twelve months after his death, on 25 November 2020, the figure of Diego Armando Maradona continues to be present in the collective imagination of fans around the world and in their hearts.
It is the extreme paradox and at the same time its latest coup: death that stops time and takes it away from the daily news to deliver it to glory forever.
The giveaways never stopped. Because after his death, Maradona has multiplied, he appears every week in a photo from the seventies, an unedited video circulating on social networks. Hundreds of murals, flags, statues, tattoos and messages in memory of the 10th have been unveiled by federations, clubs, players, fans and families, illustrious and unknown, to further multiply their figure and memory. In Argentina, a cryptocurrency was even coined in his honor, the Maradollaro. Images with the face of the pibe pop up everywhere, in Buenos Aires as in Naples. As if to fill a void that seems unbridgeable.
In the Argentine capital, every corner that has seen Diego's passage is celebrated. The house where he was born at number 523 of Calle Azamor in the shanty town of Villa Fiorito was declared by the government "Argentine national heritage", while a commemorative plaque in the name of the legislator of the city of Buenos Aires was affixed a few days ago on the corner of Segurola and Habana at Villa Devoto, the place where he lived part of his life, becoming "esquina Maradona", corner of Maradona. Naples named the stadium that saw its triumphs after him, the mural at the Spanish Quarters has become a pilgrimage destination, not only for fans, as well as the mural by Jorit, in via Taverna del Ferro, in San Giovanni a Teduccio, and at National Archaeological Museum in the Garden of the Camellias,The sculpture "The hero's dream" by Christian Leperino was installed, "a contemporary tribute to the concept of heroism also inspired by Diego Armando Maradona, one year after the player's death".
"The strength of his personality still shakes public opinion through TV series, books, podcasts and special programs that will commemorate him - summarized Jorge Valdano a few days ago - No wonder, he was a genius in his field, so until there is football there will be Maradona. But it is incredible that we have not yet finished metabolizing that intense life, half glory and half hell. Maradona has built his kingdom inside a football field thanks to his extraordinary talent and his volcanic personality. Then, without the ball in the way, life turned the hero into a victim. "
In this year without Maradona, Pele fights his battle with cancer, Lionel Messi, his designated heir, after lifting the Copa America left Barcelona for Paris Saint Germain, European football has tried to mix up the games trying to make born a Super League among the greats, Italy won the European Championship overcoming England (coincidentally), at Wembley, while the planet is about to experience the third winter struggling with Covid. And he, from up there, 10 forever. Will there be another Maradona in football? A question that many are asking but which until now has not found an answer.
Meanwhile, an Argentine footballer, Florencia Bonsegundo, just a few days ago won the award for the best goal of last season, scored when she played in Valencia, in Spain. Florencia is compared to Maradona, "the comparison with Diego is very great and fills me with pride - he said - It is a very great comparison. Being compared to the greatest and scoring one of the best goals is something very beautiful". Women are an important chapter in Maradona's life. His relationship with them has often been described as sexist. Loved and hated, in life and even after his death. Among the acclaimers and moralizers, in the controversial memory of the "diez" there is also the controversy of the feminists from all over the world, and the revelations of the Cuban Mavys Alvarez who told of having had a relationship with theex 'pibe de oro' when she was 16, full of disturbing details, from drug initiation to alleged sexual assault, reignited controversy and opened new wounds in her children.
Maradona continues to be talked about even outside of football. There is a judicial investigation into the death of the Argentine, with seven people accused of voluntary murder. There is the inheritance, with the five recognized children (Diego Junior, Dalma, Gianinna, Jana and little Diego Fernando) who have decided to auction off a long list of assets belonging to the former 'Pibe de Oro', the proceeds of which will be divided between them: the house of Villa Devoto, another building in Mar del Plata, three cars, and a long series of objects that the former Napoli champion kept inside trunks in a warehouse. The auction, set for next December 19th, will be international and via streaming. All while multiplying books dedicated to Argentine, documentaries, TV series such as that of Amazon Prime "Maradona, holy dream ", which on November 26 will see the airing of the last episode and in Italy the latest work by Paolo Sorrentino will be released in cinemas," E 'stato la mano di Dio ", an autobiographical film by the Neapolitan director Oscar winner who has the Neapolitan years of Maradona in the background.