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This was my week with Maradona: "I invite you to eat, but you pay for the wine"

2020-12-03T06:46:02.456Z


Sergio Caballero, one of the founders of Sónar, vividly remembers his meeting with Diego Armando Maradona when the soccer star was the image of the festival in 2002. It was only a week, but what a week


“Many people have called me as if someone close to him had died, or something, but the truth is that I only spent a week with him.

Of course: what a week ”.

Sergio Caballero, one of the founders of Sónar, had employment deals with Diego Armando Maradona, who passed away on November 25.

It all started with an idea: “For the 2002 festival, I liked the idea of ​​having a celebrity headline our campaign.

I'll tell you the truth: I loved Michael Jackson.

But when we tried, and despite the fact that they say that we are all four calls away from anyone else, I already saw that it was not going to be possible (laughs).

So we connected with the next one on the list, because it was the year of the World Cup: Maradona.

That he also had that anti-hero image.

It fit us perfectly ”.

The economic agreement was "simple", recalls Caballero.

At that time, the cosmic kite was already retired from football life (he did so in 1997) and was engaged in various activities, almost all of them provided by his manager, foreman, accomplice, confidant and friend, Guillermo Coppola, whose priorities had always been been crystal clear.

"Do you

have

the money?"

It's the first thing he told me as soon as we set foot in that Mexican spa.

I told him that of course, we had the money, but first I wanted to see Diego and have the photos taken ”.

It had started well, “with a quick monetary agreement”, but had continued to regulate: “First they told us that it would have to be done in Argentina.

Then it was going to be in Cuba, then it was going to be in Mexico.

Until I stood up and told them that we had to move a team and do a series of steps and that we couldn't change the entire operation every two days ”.

Finally, Caballero and his team took a plane to Mexico to start once and for all.

“I had no idea who Diego Armando Maradona was, so I read his autobiography on the way.

Before that, as if you ask me about the bulls ”.

"Catalan, come!"

The mission was to last two days, with the photo session as the central element, but -obviously- it was not going to be that simple: “Well, we had to spend two days there, but Diego was something unique, sometimes he would be absent without warning, others warned but did not return.

One day he told me he was going to the bathroom for a moment and we didn't see him again until the next day.

It was difficult to work around them, so we had to adapt ”, confesses Caballero.

"He did not have an excessively large entourage, I think there were five and they had come to that spa in Mexico for a commercial promotion operation, or something similar that had to do with a modeling party in which he did not end up participating, because they did not pay him what i wanted.

I end up escaping through a window (laughs).

The best of the case is that one day they told me how it worked: the establishment paid for accommodation and meals, but they had to pay for the alcohol.

Then I understood why Coppola told me that he invited us to have lunch and dinner there every day, but 'you pay for the wine' (laughs) ".

“It was curious, because although he was always surrounded by people, he seemed like a very lonely guy, who spent the day in the room eating hamburgers and pizzas, and watching football games.

At that time, he was very fond of golf and he was also into it.

The good thing is that he had a good vibe with me and with the photographer and that made everything easier when working.

He yelled at me: "Catalan, come!"

And there we went (laughs).

We always went at his pace.

One morning he would get up and say to me "Catalan, let's play football!"

And there I was going to play football, I had no fucking idea of ​​playing football.

Finally, things came to fruition and Maradona completed the planned photo session in - more or less - the scheduled time.

Back in Barcelona, ​​Caballero and his team, very satisfied with the result (“it has been one of our most powerful campaigns”), decided to bring Pelusa to Barcelona: “We considered it, yes.

But it was very complicated, as you can imagine, so we ruled it out.

The best part of the case was that word spread that yes, that the uncle had come to Sonar.

And you would see people looking to see if they could find it (smile).

The truth is that we had a stunt double on stage for a while and that was it ”.

What Caballero still remembers is the reaction of certain agents of the Catalan political scene when it was made public that the Argentine was going to be the protagonist of the marketing campaign of one of the most important music festivals in the world: “It was a bit strange , because a parliamentarian wanted to meet with me to tell me that he could not allow the protagonist of the festival to be a drug addict.

What did I tell him?

That we could do whatever we wanted, thank you ”.

Caballero still remembers the most surreal part of the Maradonian deal: “We took clothes from Adidas, one of the Sónar sponsors, and he fell in love with a golfer's tracksuit.

But something very strange happened and it burned him in the room.

I have no idea how a tracksuit can burn in the room, but hey.

The point is, they called us to send them another tracksuit.

But that was not in my power, so I had to be honest.

'Look, we are not Adidas,' I said.

"We are Sónar, try it at El Corte Inglés".

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2020-12-03

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