Diego Armando Maradona's relationship with Argentine politicians

Pablo de Leon

11/26/2020 23:00

• Clarín.com

• Politics

Updated 11/26/2020 11:00 PM

Diegol

Diego Armando Maradona always had ties to Argentine politics: he knew how to be a loyal support for Carlos Menem and over time, he even took photos with Fernando de la Rúa.

Over the years, he professed his support for both Néstor and Cristina Kirchner and maintain a strained relationship with Mauricio Macri, with whom he had some moments of peace and many controversies, during the Boca Juniors presidency of the former head of State and a strong distance policy during the management of Cambiemos.

He had countless photos with Menem and even played with politics, saying that he could be his running mate, if the Riojan asked him to.

Carlos Menem and Diego Maradona in 1989. Clarín Archive

Time passed and he got close to

, when the radical faced Eduardo Duhalde in 1999, with whom he never had a feeling: "He is a very credible man. Between Eduardo Duhalde and De la Rúa, everyone knows Who do I stay with.

Over time there was a photo, by the hand of Aíto De la Rúa, son of the former radical president.

Diego Maradona with Fernando De la Rúa

For this reason, in Argentine politics almost everyone has an anecdote with Maradona.

Here, we will review three:

Cartonero

The Maradona-Macri relationship was not centrally good.

The player Diego came to baptize him as "El Cartonero Báez" when, at the end of 1995, the Boca presidency planned to reduce bonuses to the squad.

There, DAM said of Macri that "if you think that Boca players are employees of SEVEL, you are very wrong."

But time passed, many events happened in their lives and, when Maradona was in one of his recoveries in Cuba,

.

"What do you mean?", Asked the 10.

.

And so, the famous event of November 10, 2001, where Pelé, Francescoli, Valderrama, Higuita, Cantoná, Suker and Hristo Stoichkov, among others, were present.

That was the day when he pronounced the famous phrase: "I was wrong and I paid. But the ball is not stained"

Diego Maradona with the then president of Boca Juniors at the club's centennial celebration: Sunday, April 3, 2005. Clarín Archive

Chat with Dié

Diego visited Alberto Fernández at Casa Rosada on December 26 of

last year, shortly after the new government took office, and ended up greeting him from the historic balcony with a replica of the World Cup.

That day, the Minister of Economy, Martín Guzmán, a fan of Diez and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, was added to the photos.

Diego Maradona met with Alberto Fernández and greeted from the balcony of the Casa Rosada.

Photo Maxi Failla

The Minister of Economy was totally concentrated, in those days, in the renegotiation of the debt.

But margin was made to finish posing with the President and the former captain of the National Team with the GELP jersey.

From that day, amid debates by the IMF, the ATP, the IFE and all the vicissitudes of the pandemic,

, which the minister maintained until recently.

Son 'e Tigre

Another politician with whom Diego had a relationship was Sergio Tomás Massa.

In December 2010,

, a "Soccer Show" with former players for the launch of a summer camp in the northern suburbs.

Alejandro Mancuso, Oscar Ruggeri, Guillermo and Gustavo Barros Schelotto, Rubén Capria, José Luís Calderón, Claudio Husain, Claudio Ubeda and Hugo Ibarra, among others, were there.

After the game on the beach,

The appointment was quiet, as there was Malena Galmarini, the couple's two children, and Kelo Melaraña.

Massa's friend and president of the Tigre Club.

The evening was serene, with a cordial chattering tone and everyone saying:

Diego Maradona and Sergio Massa in December 2010

Everything passed calmly until, at dessert time, Diego approaches where Massa keeps some good wines that they have well refrigerated in the barbecue.

Maradona, with his particular style, looks at the host: "

Laughter broke out at one more occurrence of Diego Armando Maradona.

Diego Armando Maradona.

Clarín Archive