Matias Garcia
11/26/2020 2:17 PM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 11/26/2020 2:17 PM
Far away and long ago, one of the most extraordinary myths of Argentina began to take shape.
Don Diego was
born on November 12, 1927 in Esquina, a municipality located southwest of Corrientes.
He never knew his father, who left him before he was born.
Therefore, he carried his mother's surname: Maradona.
It was in Mesopotamian lands where "Chitoro", a nickname he had since childhood, met the love of his life, Dalma Salvadora Franco, who was not yet known as
"Doña Tota"
.
To earn a living, he transported passengers on a motorboat.
Little by little, the family began to grow and they were forced to leave in search of a better future.
That's how they sold what little they had in Corrientes, packed their suitcases and left for Buenos Aires.
In 1955, they arrived in Villa Fiorito.
Among pastures that time was burying under cement structures was that Don Diego and Doña Tota raised their eight children.
The most famous of the Clan, Diego Armando Maradona, was born at 7:05 on October 30, 1960, at the Evita Interzonal Hospital for Acute People in Lanús Oeste.
He was the fourth child in order of arrival.
Ana María, Rita (Kitty), Elsa (Lili) and María Rosa (Mary) were already there.
Later, three arrived: Raúl (Lalo), Hugo (Turco) and Claudia (Cali).
Although poverty was breathed in every corner of Azamor 523's house, none of them ever lacked food.
"Chitoro" left before dawn for the Tritumol bone milling factory, where he gained just enough weight to live a day.
For her part, "Doña Tota" was an expert in feigning stomach aches just at dinner time so that her children would not notice that the food was not enough.
With "Pelusa", the lie quickly expired: "At 13 I realized that my mother had never suffered from a stomach. She never had a stomach ache, she always wanted us to eat."
With the dream of reaching the First Division in Argentinos Juniors, Diego moved in October 1976 with his family to a house located on Argerich street in La Paternal.
It was there that he met one of the most important and influential women in his life: Claudia Villafañe.
"Chitoro" and "Doña Tota", the parents of the star who was born in Villa Fiorito, whom he invokes in each statement.
/ Maradona
"I was already installed in the little house on Argerich street, with my whole family. It was a typical neighborhood house, horizontal property. We lived in the back and ahead was the Villafañe family: Don Coco, taxi driver and Argentine fanatic, Mrs. Pochi, housewife, and Claudia. I think we began to look at each other from the first day, when I settled there, in October 76 ", revealed Ten in the book" I am Diego ", by Daniel Arcucci and Ernesto Cherquis Bialo.
They began dating at a dance at the Social y Deportivo Parque on June 28, 1997. "From then on, from that exact moment, we are El Diego and La Claudia," Maradona summarized.
Then they delivered each other in an old car that they parked behind the Escuela Mecánica de la Armada (ESMA).
As a result of that relationship, his first two daughters were born: Dalma and Giannina, whose names he has tattooed on his forearms.
On April 2, 1987, Dalma Nerea was born at the Clínica del Sol, Buenos Aires.
On May 16, 1989, Giannina Dinorah arrived.
Months later, more specifically on November 7, 1989, Maradona and Claudia celebrated "The Wedding of the Century", which took place at Luna Park and cost around 2 million dollars.
By then, rumors were circulating that Italian Cristiana Sinagra had given birth to Diego Junior on September 20, 1986. After years of denying his paternity, Diego recognized him on August 26, 2016, although several DNA tests had already confirmed the relationship.
In 2003, Claudia Villafañe filed for divorce.
The appearance of Jana, daughter of the relationship that Maradona had with Valeria Sabalain, a waitress at the disco located in Costa Salguero "La Diosa", was the last straw.
For his part, Diego just recognized Jana at 18 years old.
AFP Maradona and his daughters
To share the happiest days of his life with her - his debut in Argentinos Juniors, the dream of playing in Boca, his millionaire transfer to Barcelona, his becoming a myth in Napoli and the Argentine National Team, his two goals against England in the 1986 World Cup, among other moments, went on to wage a judicial war in the courts.
He even accused her of being a "thief" and sued her for alleged irregularities in the division of assets.
Two years later, he began dating Verónica Ojeda, who had also grown up in Villa Fiorito.
The two met at the wedding of a friend they had in common.
His only son, Diego Fernando, was born on February 14, 2013. By then, Maradona was in the United Arab Emirates, where he was serving as the Sports Ambassador.
It was in Dubai that he began his relationship with Rocío Oliva, a young woman 30 years younger than him whom he had met in the summer of 2010 in Mar del Plata.
They were a couple for six years, until they separated at the beginning of 2019. That was the last formal love of the Ten.
His five recognized children (Dalma, Giannina, Diego Junior, Jana and Diego Fernando) are joined by two pending paternity claims.
On the one hand, Magalí, who was born in late 1995, was abandoned by her mother and grew up with an adoptive family.
One day, her biological mother called her and said: "Your father is Diego Maradona."
On the other hand, Santiago Lara (18), who was born in La Plata and who, to greet Diego on his 60th birthday, on October 30, wrote on his Instagram account "" Happy birthday, old man. "
Diego Maradona and Benjamín Agüero.
Photo: Reuters.
In addition, Matías Morla, Maradona's lawyer, revealed that Diego would have four children in Cuba (Joana, Lu and Javielito), from two different women, during his time on the island in 2000 and 2005. In total, the Ten would have eight children of six different mothers, although only five were recognized.
The day Maradona interviewed himself on "La Noche del 10" in 2005, he claimed that growing old with his grandchildren "would be a quiet death."
In that sense, Diego had four grandchildren.
In 2009, Benjamin, son of the relationship between Giannina and Sergio Agüero, arrived.
Meanwhile, Diego Junior had two children: Diego Matías, born in April 2018, and Indiana Nicole, born in October 2019. Finally, Dalma gave his first woman granddaughter: Roma, who came to the world on March 12 of 2019.
Among the relatives who fire him, there are also six nephews: Sergio Daniel López, Ana's son;
Sandra and Walter, Rita's children;
the son of “Mary”, Johnny Espósito, who was the last to see Maradona alive, and Diego Hernán and Jorge Raúl, sons of “Lalo”.
In addition, his great-nephew Hernán López Muñoz, who debuted in River Plate and is Ana's grandson.
As soon as the massive wake held at the Casa Rosada ends, the body of Diego Maradona will be transferred to the Jardines de Bella Vista private cemetery.
There, he will be buried with his father, "Chitoro", who died in 2015, and his mother, "Doña Tota", who lost her life in 2011.