Blue Diego Maradona forever

Guangming Daily reporter Liu Xinwei

Because you love football, because you love house and U become blue and white iron fans, because you pay attention to Barty, Crespo, Veron, Zanetti, Riquelme... And, of course, Messi. There is no ball king in the world, and the heavenly whistle will still sound.

——Chinese fans

At 12:50 local time on November 25, Diego Maradona suddenly lost consciousness after a cardiac arrest at his home in Argentina. The hospital was not far from his home, and the doctor arrived as quickly as possible and rescued him, but unfortunately failed to save his life. At 13:02, Maradona died at the age of 60.

The fall of a superstar, the sorrow of a nation. "In front of the obelisk today, argentines have a hundred kinds of nerve wounds. Someone sits quietly on the side of the street with a beer, as if the noise in front of them has nothing to do with them; someone holding maradona's jersey and autobiography still can't accept the news of his death; someone puts on the Argentine flag and tears in his eyes..." Some media reporters wrote.

It was June 22, 2010, when Argentine football coach Maradona waved before the start of the World Cup Group B match in Pologuani, South Africa. Xinhua News Agency

Argentine President Fernandez announced on the same day that the whole country has entered a three-day mourning period, and Fernandez will suspend all official activities on the 26th and 27th. Maradona will welcome a farewell ceremony in Argentina to the national hero specification. It is reported that his ceremony will be held at the Rose Palace of the Presidential Palace in the center of the capital Buenos Aires. While the final arrangements depend on Maradona's family, the Argentine government is ready to provide the presidential palace for a state funeral for Maradona. Argentina has previously held state funerals for seven former presidents and Fangio (five-time F1 world champion).

Football is not the whole of life, but the silence of the world at the moment is only for Diego.

FIFA President Infantino, UEFA President Sephorin and other football circles have expressed condolences for Maradona's death, and UEFA announced that this week's Champions League and Europa League divisions will observe a minute of silence for Maradona before the start of the matches.

Infantino said: "Today is a very sad day, Diego left us. The way he plays football makes everyone fall in love with the sport of football. We are forever grateful to him. His unparalleled talent surprises everyone and he is a player like no other in the world. Maradona – a legend, a hero, a real man. ”

Sephuring said: "I am deeply saddened to hear the news of Maradona's death today. He is the greatest player in the world and an iconic figure. I've also been in touch with him lately to wish him well, and the news was so shocking to me. He was a hero in Argentina, winning the World Cup for Argentina. He is also an eternal icon for Italian Napoli players. Napoli fans will never forget the success and glory he brought to the club and the city. ”

Whether you like football or not, you must know a name – Maradona. Because of him, we know the country far away from China that most people have never been to, and we know that there are Boca youth, there are Pampas eagles, there are blue and white paper strips floating all over the field, and there is the most passionate football. We even think the name of the world's longest capital is not a mouthful – there is no doubt that he is the world's calling card for argentina.

Tonight, the obelisk of Buenos Aires and the lights in front of the Rose Palace are lit for him all night.

Last night, from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Piraeus, from Amsterdam to Liverpool, although there was no spectator at the Champions League due to the epidemic, the players, coaches, referees and staff spontaneously observed a moment of silence for him, and the big screen showed a photo of Diego, and the players and referees surrounded the central circle, silent for the legend of football.

On October 30, 1960, Diego Armando Maradona was born into a poor family of eight children in the town of Fiorijo in the Vera-Fiorito district of Buenos Aires. He lived with his parents and siblings in a three-room house separated only by curtains. At the age of 3, Maradona got a leather-made football from his father, and since then, football has become his favorite. As a child, everyone who saw him play said, "It's a genius born for football." At the age of 14, the genius made his dream: "I have two dreams, one is to participate in the World Cup, and the other is to win the World Cup. ”

Whether it was the "Hand of God" at the 1986 World Cup, or the "goal of the century" with 5 consecutive people, whether it was the football genius who came out of the slums, or the absolute core that led the Argentine national team to win the championship, Maradona brought too many surprises to the Argentines. The world superstar from a poor background is also highly controversial, but he has never forgotten the young people in Argentina who share the same dreams as him, and he has not forgotten his beloved country and team.

Brazilian star Pele, who mourned Maradona's death in a post on his social media account, said, "It's sad news, I've lost a great friend and the world has lost a legend." Although I still have a thousand words, for now I only hope that God will give strength to his family. I hope that one day, the two of us will be able to play in paradise together. Spanish tennis star Nadal posted on his personal social networking site, "Today the whole sports world and especially football have lost an important person." Maradona, one of the greatest footballers in history, left us today. His contribution to football is not going away. I extend my deepest condolences to his family, to the football community and to Argentina as a whole. ”

When the news of Maradona's death came, the Stadium of San Paolo, home of Napoli, Italy, lit up the lights to pay tribute to the king of the ball, and fans lit candles in the square painted with Maradona's colorful murals. The mayor of Naples, Magistolis, announced that a citywide mourning event will be held for Maradona, the "honorary citizen of Naples", and renamed the Stadio San Paolo stadium Maradona.

Maradona is seen as a banner of Argentine football and has led the global football boom, including China. After winning the World Cup in 1986, Maradona's portrait swept the covers of magazines and posters in China in the early days of reform and opening up, leading a large number of fans to start loving and paying attention to football. Fans' eyes are drawn to fascinating football venues such as Serie A, Bundesliga, and the European Cup, thus accelerating their understanding of the outside world.

Maradona visited China many times during his lifetime and was invited to play football in China. On July 25, 1996, the Argentine giants Boca Youth Team came to Beijing and played a warm-up match with Beijing Guoan team in the Workers' Stadium, and Maradona appeared as the captain, attracting tens of thousands of fans to watch the game. Maradona's second visit to China was in November 2003, when an old horse who had been retired for six years climbed the Great Wall and shouted: "It turns out that I also had a good addiction!" "The joy is palpable. In August 2008, Maradona visited China for the third time as an advisor to the Argentine Olympic team, witnessing the historic moment when Messi and Di Maria led Argentina to defend the Olympic men's gold medal. In 2010, Maradona came to China for the fourth time, donating personal belongings and participating in two public welfare competitions, all of which were used for charity.

In 2017, Maradona specifically talked about Chinese football in an interview with the media: "China is the most populous country in the world, and it is also the world's second largest economy, with increasing influence on a global scale, and China has the largest number of fans, and we have been looking forward to the Chinese team to be able to dig out world-class players." If there is no Chinese team in the World Cup, it is a huge regret! Maradona firmly believes that Chinese football will be able to rise in the future, "In the field of football, China is a sleeping lion, and I believe that one day Chinese football will inevitably take off." ”

On October 30, on Maradona's 60th birthday, he donated 10 signed jerseys to 10 cities in Argentina that have been severely affected by the epidemic at a charity event in the slums of Buenos Aires, and donated food and hygiene products to people with living difficulties. This was also the last Maradona to appear in public.

Argentina in blue and white stripes, Boca in sea blue, Naples in sky blue, and number 10 forever!

The Napoli club posted a photo of Maradona wearing a blue team uniform with the words "Forever" on social media, accompanied by the text "Goodbye!" Diego! ”

Guangming Daily (12th edition, November 27, 2020)

Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily