This article was published in the "Sanlian Life Weekly" No. 49, 2020, the original title of the article is "Becoming "Diego"" and it is strictly forbidden to reprint it privately, and infringement must be investigated
Diego Maradona and his miracles thus became the only one in eternity. As a player, he has the ultimate deterrent of "one person is a team". And as a complex person, he is like the interweaving of art and wildness, beautiful and chaotic, fascinating.
Reporter/Huang Ziyi
Maradona is the king of the pitch, intoxicating and admired by thousands of people, while Diego is just a child with constant problems in his life (1989)
Diego vs Maradona
The World Cup is like a big stage, players compete on the field, and fans compete for talent. Of all the cheers from the fans, I was the most impressed and liked by the Argentine fans. Each of them wore a blue and white scarf and jersey, raised above their heads, waved their hands, and when the atmosphere reached its peak, the shirts could be taken off and waved together, shouting the name of the motherland in unison. The leading figures who drive the Argentine fans to wave are usually the middle-aged Maradona who has a big waist and has been blessed.
It was a dance of unbridled enthusiasm, like waving a horse whip on the Pampas. Thousands of swirling blue-white can make the stands float in an instant. Compared with the field competition, the fan stands have always been static, one person and one seat, fixed and unchanged. From a spatial point of view, this explains why the fans' banners, puzzles, flags are so diverse, and the cheering songs and slogans are so loud. Because when the flow of space is limited, fans can only make a fuss about hearing and vision, so that the stands will not be lifeless, and they will become part of the arena.
For example, in the 2016 European Championship, the Icelandic fans who appeared on the stage of the competition for the first time brought the Viking war roar, and the ultimate audio-visual experience quickly spread to the world and was imitated by Chinese fans; for example, in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, local fans invented the stand "human wave", and the undulating fan wave spread around the world, and also appeared in the Chengdu Sports Center in the first year of the 1994 A and A.
However, the "human wave" must carry the strength of the whole field, and once it cannot be fully seated, it will be powerless to continue. But the cheers of the Argentine fans, on their own, gave the stands a dynamic beauty. In the semi-final of the 2019 Copa America, Argentina vs. Brazil, I witnessed the ethereal flow in the Mineiro Arena in Brazil. In the centre behind the goal, thousands of Argentine fans were surrounded by tens of thousands of Brazilian fans. The sound was not enough, and the Argentine fans waved in unison, stirring up blue-white whirlpools in the yellow ocean, like flying snowflakes, fanatical and fierce.
The earliest origin of this unique Pampas-esque cheer, I can think of, also came from Diego Maradona in 1986. After a World Cup that made him "god-calling", he sang with his teammates in the dressing room, waving his shirt and shouting "Argentina!" Argentina! ”。 Later, at every World Cup without his own, he would take a blue and white flag or a jersey and dance in the stands, driving and infecting thousands of Argentine fans.
The enthusiastic waving of blue and white scarves became the signature move of Argentine fans in the World Cup arena (june 30, 1998)
In the semi-final of the 2019 Copa America, Maradona was unable to be present, but he had a strong sense of presence on the pitch. Brazilian fans sang a song in Portuguese, and even if I didn't know the local language, I could clearly hear the name "Maradona" in the lyrics, and when I asked later, I realized what it meant: Pele had a thousand goals, but Maradona Cheirador (Mil gols só Pelé, Maradona Cheirador).
The Argentine fans showed no signs of weakness. When they danced the scarf, they responded with a song to the effect that: Brazil, please tell us how you feel, when Dad takes you home. I swear, even as the years go by, we will never forget that Diego beat you up, That Caniggia humiliated you, that you cried from Italy to this day... Maradona was better than Pele.
For a Chinese fan, both songs are a little surprising to me, Brazilian fans still miss Pele, they never lack genius, and Argentine fans are still chanting the allusion that Maradona led the team to eliminate Brazil at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. In the most heavyweight showdown of the 2019 Copa America, the biggest taunt that Argentine fans can make against their mortal enemies is still only dating back to the Italian summer nearly 30 years ago. After losing the match 0:2, they stopped waving and walked out of the stadium lonely, many still wearing Maradona's number 10 jerseys.
There is an interesting nuance between the two songs. Brazilian fans call him Maradona, while Argentine fans prefer to call him "Diego", where Diego Maradona splits in two. Maradona represents his splendor, achievements and stains, his name being compared to Bailey, the dualistic image of a demigod and a half-demon, while Diego, more like his human aggregate as an independent individual, is self-righteous, loves and hates, and is sung by his countrymen and lovers.
This complex interweaving also exists in Maradona's mind. When Maradona played at the Napoli club in Italy, a reporter noticed that he liked to call himself in the third person when interviewed, "I am not surprised at all, the newspaper will write Maradona", "Maradona used a little brain, God stretched out his hand", and even "the drug trade is too big, Maradona is difficult to stop with one person".
He prefers "Diego," calling himself "El Diego," confident and conceited. In 2006, he published his autobiography, I am El Diego, in which he recounted himself: "Because I am San Diego, I also call myself San Diego", "Let's see if we can clarify this once and for all, I am San Diego", "I am me, as always, I am me, I am Maradona, and I am San Diego".
"I realized that he had a Diego in his body and a Maradona. Diego is a good kid with no sense of security, and Maradona is the person he wants to be in the media and football, so Maradona can't show his vulnerability to the outside world. Maradona's personal fitness coach, Fernando Signorini, said that if he followed Diego, he would like to travel to the ends of the world and the end of the world, but if he was with Maradona, he would not even go out of the house.
On 10 June 1987, Pele (third from right) was awarded the Medal of Honor by FIFA. Argentina captain Maradona was given the World Cup mascot in Italy
Therefore, the people who truly love Diego Maradona not only love his glory and achievements as Maradona, but also love his sincere purity, adventure and passion as Diego, and even arbitrariness. This is true for Argentine fans, and it is true for fans all over the world, including China. For us, Bailey's time is too old, there is no witness, no emotional connection, and few video materials are preserved, which is blank in the conversation of the fathers. Maradona is the first generation of ball kings that we have witnessed, and the only one so far. His miraculous performances at the 1986 World Cup and his lonely myths at Napoli both defined the standard by which the term "king of the ball" is in Chinese context. Countless descendants are scrambling to get started, and they still can't look back.
This king of the ball is so different. Bailey, who is equal to him, often wears suits and shoes after retiring, and has become a commercial symbol that is frequently ridiculed because of continuous and unintentional predictions. The superstars close to him have either become football politicians and club officials, talking and laughing in business activities, or they have transformed into coaches, wearing training clothes attached to the logo of sports brands all day long, with frowns and sad faces.
Only Diego Maradona, still dashing and pure, enthusiastic like fire, like the sun on the Argentine flag. In the era when Chinese color television was just becoming popular, he appeared in a blue suit and wearing a captain's armband, like a revolutionary leader fighting guerrillas in the mountains of Bolivia with a lot of enthusiasm for The Latin American leftists. A curly hair with stud earrings, bare thick lower limbs, domineering. After retiring, even if he was in good shape, he was also full of energy, running and gliding wildly after the kill in the heavy rain, waving his blue and white jersey in the stands, infecting all fans.
This influence and appeal transcends borders, languages and cultures. At his peak, not only were countless newborns in Argentina named "Diego", but even in a central parish of Naples, 25% of newborns were named "Diega" and "Diega" (female name); neighboring Brazil, opponents on the pitch, as well as stars born in the 80s such as Diego Costa, who were witnessed by maradona's fathers, named after him.
It is a memorial and a hope. It's just that we have to admit that being the next Diego Maradona will always be a good wish. No one has achieved his achievements, and no one can show his pure true self. Genius went from living outside the rules to being tamed by the rules.
After Maradona's death on November 25, white-haired Napoli fans went to mourn (courtesy of IC PHOTO)
Live outside the rules
Argentina had the seventh highest GDP per capita in the world at one point in the early 20th century. This emerging country has never given up on finding a spokesperson for its national spirit. In 1928, the Argentine writer Borocotó wrote suggesting that Argentina should build a statue of a "Pibe" (Spanish, kid) to represent Argentine football culture and self-imagination: the boy had a dirty face, a pair of eyes like a liar, a cunning and bright look, a hair that was unkempt and thick, wearing an Argentine-style striped shirt, with a wound on his knees covered with disinfectant water, and a soccer ball tied with old socks. "If this statue could one day be raised, many of us would take off our hats to pay tribute to him, just as we did in church."
32 years later, the statue-like figure was born in a slum on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Maradona fits almost perfectly with the "Pibe" image. He was born in a rich area separated from the poor by a river, a stinking family of seven siblings, all of whom depend on his father alone. He got his first football at the age of 3 and soon learned to topple the ball, toss the socks, and the paper ball. He was short and stocky, his feet were huge, he could control everything freely, and the ball was one, so that when he died, the superstars of football praised and surprised him, not from the field, but from the pre-match warm-up.
In 1989, Maradona warmed up without shoelaces and danced with the ball before a game in Napoli, accompanied by the 80s song "Live is Life" played on the stadium, which became popular on social networks after his death. Many stars lament the skill and talent that Maradona showed during the warm-up. Maldini said that when Maradona warms up, they will all sit there and "look fascinated"; Platini said that what he can do with football, "Maradona can do it with an orange".
And all that Maradona was able to do before he was 12 years old. In order to earn money for his family, he sold scraps, collected tin foil from cigarette boxes, helped people drive taxi doors, performed balls in football games to earn money, and finally appeared in the national media and was recruited into the Argentine youth team; before the age of 16, he set a record for the youngest appearance. His talent was thus seen by argentines, who affectionately called him "El Pibe de Oro".
At that time, Argentina's economy had fallen into a depression. After the "Pibe" theory was proposed, Argentina soon fell into recession after the military coup of the 1930s, and the beloved Juan Perón and "Lady Perón" Evita could not stop the country's decline. For this genius, the Argentines and the junta had high hopes, and Maradona was treated preferentially, pampered, and lived outside the rules on and off the field.
As a child, he often competed across the ages because of his high skills, even if he did not go to the exam, he could pass the school grades; at the age of 15, he signed a professional team, which gave his family an apartment and took him to eat and live in a five-star hotel. After winning the World Youth Championship for Argentina in 1979, he was drafted into the military by the junta for military service, but only shaved his head and returned from the military, which regarded him as a treasure and hoped that he would continue to serve as an idol for the youth of the country. Talent can bring him privileges, opening the mouth of various rules, which Maradona learned from his youth.
On November 27, in Bogota, Colombia, fans cut their hair in honor of Maradona
But the slums taught him survival skills, as well as the rules and righteousness of being human. In 2005, Maradona and Serbian director Emile Kusturica returned to their hometown of Vila-Fiorito. At the edge of the dirty river, he said, the land was the source of his thoughts and character. This character, rebellious and cunning, kind and contemptuous of the powerful, has the word "viveza" in the local Spanish, which is regarded as the shrewdness and wisdom of the poor. Proud of his pedigree and origins, he called himself "cebecita negra", a term used by the local upper class to refer to lower-class Italian descendants.
Throughout Maradona's career, he joined almost all civilian non-big clubs, representing bottom-up forces: Argentine youth, Boca youth, Barcelona (not giants at the time), Napoli, Sevilla, Newell Old Boys. He repeatedly turned down the River Plate team, which had extended an olive branch to him since he was 12 years old. In Argentina, Boca youth and River Plate have historically been sworn enemies, boca's supporters are the poor and the working class, the situation was not good, and river plate represents the middle class and the rich. "Glory is more important than money, so I chose Boca, and Boca needs me."
In the budding of globalization in the late 1970s, any dazzling talent and resources were seen. When Maradona came to prominence, he was taken in by some of europe's biggest clubs, who visited Argentina every year. The junta considered Maradona a national treasure and would not let him go abroad. However, soon after playing for Boca, he had to leave his hometown. In order to buy him, Boca was in huge debt at the time, and at one point he could not repay it.
Maradona came to Barcelona (hereinafter referred to as Barcelona) in Spain. Barcelona at the time was in the post-Franco era. Under the dictator, Barcelona in Catalonia was suppressed and did not develop much. After Franco's death, Barca thought they had finally got the chance to become a world brand. Maradona, which has become a globally renowned city, has become the most important step in its global strategy.
When Maradona parachuted into Barca in June 1982 for a record $7.6 million, it was unprecedented and full of confidence, and his teammates described him as "naïve and hungry... Want to eat the world like". The club gave the South American genius the best of his ability to earn $70,000 a month, bring his own personal doctor and fitness coach, bring a large number of family and friends, and a group of dozens of people, all fed by Maradona alone, living in the "palace" house provided by the club.
Maradona in the innovation of Barcelona. On the pitch, he said, life is gone, troubles are gone, everything will disappear (august 1982).
Maradona's home is never short of news, celebrities and women, and there are rumors of parties, fights and drug use from time to time. "Whenever you go, there's food there, and there's someone lying in the bedroom at all times, giving you a chance to go to bed." A member of the team said. It was during that time that Maradona began smoking cocaine. "When you're in it, you want to say no, only to hear yourself say no. Because you believed you could control it, there would be no problems, and later it became more and more complicated. In 1979, he also served as an ambassador for the anti-drug movement, playing a charity tournament in Argentina against Platini.
For this genius, Barca did their best to curry favor with the head coach, replacing the Argentine Menotti, who changed the training time from morning to 3 pm as soon as he arrived to adapt to Maradona's schedule. At the end of the season, Maradona wanted to go to a friend's charity match, but Barca refused to allow it and did not return his passport, which Maradona regarded as a constraint on personal freedom and smashed several trophies in the honor room.
The coddled and indulgent genius seems to be accustomed to the freedom that talent brings, and regards the rules as nothing. Once bound by rules, he easily feels humiliated and angry, gritting his teeth, seeking venting and revenge, and even resorting to conspiracy. In those World Cups he missed, we could all see Diego like a child. Argentina won the 1978 World Cup on home soil, but coach Menotti didn't bring the 17-year-old Maradona with him, who cried for an hour that day leaning against the fence. In 1982, he was disgruntled with repeated aggressions by his opponents, lost his mind, and was sent off with a red card for retaliatory kicks; in 1990 and 1994, he cried like a child, and after the defeat and suspension, he even called it a FIFA conspiracy.
His private life affected the arena. Half a year after joining Barca, Maradona scored only six goals. In December of that year, he was diagnosed with hepatitis , said to be linked to cocaine use. He also struggled to adapt to the Spanish style and was often viciously harassed and kicked. At that time, the Spanish arena was different from today, with a rough and wild aggressive style, paying attention to physical confrontation and scrambling. In 1983, Maradona was shoveled off his lower leg by Bilbao player Goye Kochea, who still treasures the shoes of the time.
The first year ended with Barca in fourth place in the league and the club was not satisfied. Barca's coddled habits are priced and want to rely on Maradona to challenge the order that has been established by Real Madrid for many years. From Argentina to Spain, the environment and rules have changed, but the demand has not changed, or even higher. Later in Barca's career, Maradona was unpopular and his income declined. In 1984, the depressed Maradona broke out in a match. In the Copa del Rey final, Barca lost 0-1 to their old rival Bilbao. After the match, Maradona kicked one of the opposing players in the face with spikes, triggering a group fight between the two teams in a way that can only be seen in violent blocks.
The scene of the brawl full of flying legs not only did not appear in the modern European football field many years later, but also the king of Spain who watched the game at that time did not see it, and all this happened under his eyes. Maradona's Barca career came to an end.
On May 10, 1987, Maradona led Napoli to win the first league title in the history of the team, and the whole city rejoiced, and he became a "god" of the city.
Challenge the great powers and break order
After Maradona's death in Buenos Aires, in the southern Italian city of Naples, 11,200 kilometers from the Argentine capital, the Stadio san Paolo turned on all its lights and stayed up all night. The whole city was in mourning, and fans came from all over the stadium to keep vigil for Maradona under the "King" banner hanging on the stadium. Candles shine with lights, lighting up the ball king's way home.
Italy's third-largest stadium, which hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 Universiade, will now be renamed Diego Maradona Stadium to commemorate Maradona's seven glorious years in Naples. From 1984 to 1992, Maradona brought two Serie A titles, an Italian Cup, a UEFA Cup and an Italian Super Cup. The locals called him "Messiah" (the Savior) and would also call him Isso in dialect, with the initial "I" referring to him, as if the name were sacred, without full title or explanation.
How can a player from a foreign land make The Napoli people miss and worship it so much? Perhaps only by understanding the place of Naples in Italy can we understand the significance of Maradona. As a genius abandoned by Spain, he received the greatest kindness in this civilian city, and also repaid it with his greatest energy, soothing the scars of the city and becoming a symbol of its spirit.
Italy has always been divided into north and south, the north is strong and the south is weak, the north is stronger than the south, and the giant clubs are also gathered in Milan, Turin, Rome and other northern cities. Compared to the classical fashion of the North, Naples is bleak. When Maradona arrived, it was the most populous city in southern Italy, densely populated with large numbers of immigrants, rebuilt after cholera in 1973 and the 6.9 magnitude earthquake of 1980. Northerners saw Naples as crowded, damp, dilapidated, and plentiful with thieves and workers, calling it Italy's "Africa," one of Europe's poorest cities in 1980.
When the news of Maradona's possible joining came, it was said that local fans pooled their money, some people went on hunger strike, and some people tied themselves to the stadium railing, saying that Maradona must sign a contract. The previous season, the team had only finished 11th in the league, and was relegated by one point. "I wanted a house but they gave me an apartment; I wanted a Ferrari and they gave me a Fiat." Maradona once joked about the treatment he received in Naples. Despite this, he is still worth $10.48 million, becoming the only person to break football transfer records twice.
In June 1984, 75,000 Napolians filled the then Stadio San Paolo stadium with the chanting "Diego! Diego! Together with 78 photographers, maradona appeared. The documentary "Maradona" shows the scene of fanaticism, in the rough grainy picture, the huge stadium seems to be performing a religious ceremony, waiting for the savior to come, thousands of people shouting in unison, chaos and noise. "At the time, I felt like even though Naples was a place full of lunatics, I felt like I was at home." Maradona said. Since then, 70,000 to 90,000 fans have poured into the stadium in every game, 86% of whom are season ticket holders, and won Serie A throughout the second half of the 80s.
On May 10, 1987, the whole city of Naples was reveling, and people sang: "Mom, why is my heart beating faster?" Because I saw Maradona."
At that time, Serie A was the highest level league in the world, Juventus was the dominant player, there were three-time Ballon d'Or winner Platini, the championship rotated in the hands of Juve, Turin, Roma, Verona and other northern giants; after 1984, Berlusconi joined AC Milan, and brought the "Dutch Three Musketeers" - he promised Maradona a Lamborghini and a high salary, but was rejected; and the international "German Troika". For a time, the flock of men rose up and chased the Apennines.
The confrontation between the North and the South has never been a simple sports competition. "The match against the Northern team took on all the importance of the cultural and ethnic challenges." Italian sports historian Antonio Papa writes. In the first match, Verona fans put up racist slogans. In November 1985, the eight-game winning Juventus came to Napoli with their fans chanting "Cholera patients, victims of earthquakes", "You never bathe with soap, it is a shame for all of Italy", and "Napolians work hard, buy Maradona has ruined your family!" Let's wash the Neapolitans! ”
"It makes me feel very sick." The provocation of racial meaning inspired Maradona's mind of "Bronca"—a local dialect of Buenos Aires that is pronounced backwards by the Spanish cabrón (bastard) and refers to the dark energy inspired by anger or disappointment. In that match, Maradona scored a delicate arcing free-kick and led the team to a 1:0 win. After scoring, the whole of Napoli went crazy, with five people in a coma and two having heart attacks.
The match was like a microcosm of his journey in Italy. It took him three years to take Napoli from a mid-level and lower-down team to the league title. Unlike the explosive miracle interpretation at the World Cup, it is a long climb, and it is necessary to constantly polish the lineup and play style. Around Maradona, the club introduced bruno Giordano, Carecca and other strong reinforcements, until 1987 to the top, in 1990 the second time to the top, the north of the strong under the feet.
This myth of civilian heroes leading teams to challenge the order of the great powers seems inconceivable and irreproducible in today's football world. "Maradona's unique achievement in competing for the world's greatest stars is to almost single-handedly bring a mid-range team to the top of a major tournament, and at this time, money is gradually turning from a favorable factor to a decisive force." Jonathan Wilson, a well-known football historian and author of the "Reverse Pyramid" of football tactics, commented that other superstars are more likely to thread the needle in a brilliant team, discover the advantages of teammates and motivate them, but Maradona is a character who can be the cornerstone of the team and has a strong ability to lead the team. "What Maradona needs is to be the core of the team, to surround the whole team and rely on itself. He has not only the skills, the pass, the shot and the free kick, but also the soul and organizer of a team. ”
On June 22, 1986, the moment of the goal of the century. Maradona's desire to fight on the streets was fully aroused in this game
On 10 May 1987, the Napoliers won their first Serie A title in 59 years of the team's existence with just one draw. Anthropologist Amaria Signorelli chose to take a walk down the street that day. "It was a beautiful day." The world has changed, she writes, and the streets of Europe's noisiest, most crowded, and most chaotic cities have been left empty. The city was as quiet as graves as rival Robert Baggio scored his debut goal in Serie A and equalised. The stadium and the city are silent, and everyone is waiting for a result.
After the whistle blew, the Neapolitans went crazy, and they poured into the streets to celebrate. This victory is a revenge of a poor city that has been discriminated against for many years. The streets are covered with bunting flags and cars painted in sea blue whistles. Impromptu street parties lasted for days, and anyone could sit down and eat a plate of pasta and seafood on a long table full of clutter, with citizens pooling their own money to pay for it. The next day, no one in the city went to work.
Some of the urban myths about Maradona have spread. The Neapolitans imported 100 donkeys from Sardinia to form a celebratory float, Maradona sat on the throne, while "Platini" lay prone at his feet, and twenty thousand local voters wrote "Viva Maradona" on the ballot paper.
By this time, Maradona had transcended sport and become a symbol. His personality became the spiritual voice of the city. In the Spanish neighborhood of Naples, murals about him have sprung up, some of which compare him to saint Gennaro, the patron saint of the city, and Diego, a child, lying in the arms of San Gennaro.
However, in breaking the inherent order, Maradona remained arrogant. He has countless ties to the local mafia Camorra group, and his driver says he has had sex with 8,000 women, an illegitimate child he once didn't want to recognize for years. After the weekend game, he would indulge for three days and only two days to train. In 1989, he also asked the club to let him transfer to Marseille, France, but at one point refused to return.
These episodes did not seem to affect his relationship with the city in the slightest. In 1990, italy hosted the World Cup on home soil, and the Italians were united in the semi-final against Argentina, which happened to be Napoli. Before the game, the Italians feared that the Napolitans would turn against Maradona and create public opinion and turn over his negative news. Maradona said: "There are 364 days out of the year when the Napolitans are considered foreigners among their own people, but today they are asked to support the national team. On the contrary, I am a Neapolitan for 365 days a year. ”
The relationship between the city and the state, at this moment, becomes complex and delicate, which is the cleverness of Maradona viveza. Although after the start of the game, the Stadio san Paolo did not turn back, the fans put up slogans "Diego we love you, but Italy is the motherland" "Diego in our hearts, Italy is in our songs", but the Napolitans showed great friendliness, and when the Argentine appeared and the national anthem was played, the whole applauded.
"It affected us." Italian goalkeeper Zenga said the atmosphere in Naples is completely different from in Rome, "although this is not the decisive factor." "That game ended in a penalty shootout. Italy was unable to win the game, and there was a split among the fans. In the penalty shootout, a small number of fans cheered for Argentina. When Argentina scored the decisive penalty, the San Paolo Stadium heard cheers.
That year's final was scheduled for Rome, and the Italians in the north erupted in great hostility and boos against the Argentines, and Maradona became the enemy of the whole of Italy. Italian media later said that today you ask Italians of a certain age, and they will tell you without hesitation that the worst defeat in Italy in the past 30 years was not the "sudden death" of the Golden Ball in the 1994 World Cup final and the 2000 Euro 2000 final, or even the injustice suffered by the 2002 World Cup to South Korea, but the night of São Paulo in 1990. "The defeat at Napoli was the most painful and indigestible."
The "Hand of God" is the best embodiment of the wisdom of the streets of Buenos Aires, like a fleeting sorcery that is difficult to reproduce
The moment of canonization cannot be copied
A player's journey from man to god must be the process of using exquisite skills and powerful spiritual power to obtain glory and see the world, but the impact on the top of the world always has some totemic "god-sealing" moments, so that he is often remembered in the memory of future generations and sung forever. The 1986 World Cup was such a landmark moment. Diego's miracle culminated in the great battle between Argentina and England.
Maradona challenged the great powers in Serie A and we missed most of it. It wasn't until 1989 that CCTV premiered Serie A. The 1986 World Cup was the beginning of a widespread acquaintance of Chinese fans. That year, CCTV broadcast the World Cup live for the first time. In the first year, the TV ownership rate in 100 households in China's cities exceeded 30%. Fans from the "post-50s" to "post-70s" gathered in the compound and set up a table at home to witness the ascension of the king of the ball. For the convenience of Asian fans, many matches are specially arranged at noon in Mexico, including the Anglo-Afghan battle.
That year, Maradona, polished by Serie A's reinforced concrete defence, was more mature physically and mentally, and he was appointed captain of the national team before his departure. That was maradona's favorite captain, and before 1986, whenever he went out on a campaign, he would buy captain armbands for himself and his family, "almost 200 more."
At that time, the imperfection of the hardware was somewhat unbelievable today: the Argentine players came from all over the world to get together in their own jerseys, there was no unified uniform, and the clothes and brands of the coaching staff were also mixed. Enrique, a teammate who passed to Maradona in goal of the century, didn't even have a pair of spikes at the time.
Before the Anglo-Argentine war, Argentina once even had a problem with the jersey. French sponsor Le Coq Sportif had prepared a blue and white home shirt for Argentina, and in order to cope with the hot weather in Mexico, there were many small holes in the clothes to dissipate heat. However, Lecak forgot to leave these small holes in another dark blue away jersey, which was poorly breathable and "heavier than a sweater" after sweating.
When England drew lots to wear a white jersey, the Argentine players despaired, "How can we play in a sweater-like shirt?" ”。 At one point, head coach Bilardo took matters into his own hands, cutting small holes in his jersey. Finally, the logistics director traveled around Mexico City, finally procured two sets of shirts, sewed the Argentine team logo and sponsor logo, and then used an iron to burn the number of 38 sets of team uniforms overnight, using silver powder. When the Argentine players came out, many people still had bright powder on their faces. If it rains that day, these numbers will be washed away. Fortunately, it was a sunny day, and on June 23, 1986, 115,000 people poured into the Aztec Stadium in Mexico, and the atmosphere was as warm as the scorching sun overhead.
Looking back today, this episode seems to be a mirror, reflecting many of the accidental factors that created that classic game, they have strong characteristics of the times, and it is difficult to replicate them today, and the classics have become eternal.
1994 World Cup in the United States, urine-positive Maradona facing the media long guns and short guns (photo taken on June 30, 1994)
The Anglo-Afghan war was given too much meaning. The Argentines considered it to be the best revenge on the British after the 1982 Falklands War. In that 74-day territorial battle, 649 Afghan soldiers were killed, nearly three times as many as the British army. In the face of the media, all the players did not talk about it before the game, holding a bad breath in their hearts. Before the national feud, Maradona's fiery patriotic feelings were awakened, and Bronca and viveza were also stimulated.
The "Hand of God" is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of slum wisdom like viveza. After scoring the ball with his hand in the 51st minute of the game, Maradona glanced at the referee and the referee to see that they did not react at all. Between the electric light and flint, he ran to the corner flagpole, beckoned his teammates to celebrate, pretended that nothing had happened, and helped the referee make a decision. In an interview after the game, he said it was "Maradona used a little brain and God reached out".
This is not the first time Maradona has scored with his hand. A year ago, he scored handball against Udinese in Serie A, when the Brazilian star Zico in the opposing squad approached him and said, "If you're an honest person, go and tell the referee about handball". Maradona squeezed Zico's hand, "It's an honor to know you, my name is Diego Dishonest Maradona". Zico found the referee to protest being sent off, banned for four games, and that game also became Zico's Serie A singing.
While celebrating, at least two Argentine teammates came running up and asked him if he had handball. Among them was Messi's later head coach Batista, maradona said: "Shhh, silly ×, come and hug me." And Real Madrid coach Baldano, Maradona only lost one sentence :I'll tell you later, don't mess with me first.' Questioned by the English players after the game, he still said he scored with his head.
In 2006, 20 years later, The England player at the time, Reinkel, had become a BBC presenter and came to Buenos Aires to interview Maradona. Reinkel asked him, "Why did you call it 'the hand of God'?" Maradona said that because it was God who reached out and helped them, "on that occasion, neither the referee nor the referee found that the probability of handball was very low." Years later, VAR (Video Assistant Referee) became widespread on the pitch, and "God's Hand" was almost impossible.
Rhineker said to Maradona: "Immediately after that, your second goal was the first and only wonderful goal in my entire football career that I willingly applauded my opponent. Maradona listened and almost wanted to kiss him.
If the previous goal was God's hand, Maradona's comeback four minutes later can be called "God's Foot". After receiving the ball in the middle circle, he went through five people in a row and scored the most beautiful goal of the World Cup so far. The Spanish commentator, Hugo Morales, was crying and crying, saying that the goal made him want to cry.
The goal is shocking, but there is also a certain accident. Maradona recalls that the England players were very gentlemanly at the time, more than he expected. They never fouled viciously and if an Argentine player is brought down, they will go and help. This is completely different from Argentina's "butcher-esque" defense against South Korea in the first group stage. Off-field rivalry is not reflected in the on-field competition, at least not the England players. After the game, they also went to the dressing room to congratulate Argentina. Reinkel himself, who interviewed him, was known as a gentleman, and in his entire career of 16 years, he did not even receive a red or yellow card.
"If our opponent was another team, that classic goal probably wouldn't have existed. When something like that happened before, I was thrown to the ground by my opponent, but the England players were gentlemen and they didn't foul me. Maradona said the situation would be much more complicated if the opponent was Italy, Uruguay or Brazil. The Italians are defensive, the South Americans are more fierce.
After Maradona picked up the ball, England player Peter Reed gave up the chase, recalling that his speed was "as fast as a bullet", he could not catch up, and had nightmares for many years; followed by Fenwick, who was carrying a yellow card at the time, the movement was restrained, "Fenwick reached out to try to drag me, but he did not wave his hand to my face... It was as if he was holding a baby", and finally he was twice passed by Terry Butcher, who was the hottest player in England and later served as the defensive coach of guangzhou R&F in the Chinese Super League. He finally remembered the foul after Maradona passed the goalkeeper, but it was too late and the goal of the century was born.
After that game, Maradona felt that no one could stop him at that World Cup. On 29 June 1986, Argentina won the World Cup. After Maradona's death, the British "Guardian" commented that for Diego's performance in that World Cup, they were willing to borrow Homer's description of the hero in Ulysses and "Odyssey": wise, cunning, astute, shrewd, artistic, cunning, deceitful, alert, at the same time, Diego's football is based on beauty, creativity, courage, pride and home feelings. "There is a sentence that is often used and often used inappropriately, and has the best place here—he is above good and evil."
Genius is no exception
In 1990, more Chinese fans witnessed Italy's sexy summer. Maradona was 30 years old that year and claimed to be in better shape than he had been four years earlier. He has short, lean hair, like a gang leader. Against sworn enemy Brazil, he rode through the barrier single-handedly before the final game and sent a deadly short pass in a siege - this scene made Argentine fans nostalgic for a full 30 years, until the 2019 Copa America.
In the United States in 1994, the heat of summer, the sexy naked female fans in the stands, let us further feel the pulse of the world. Maradona's angry roar at the camera became his World Cup masterpiece. Soon, he tested positive for urine and bid farewell to the stage, and Argentine football also began more than 20 years of tragic history.
Argentines always believed in their "Pibe", and they felt that those were all conspiracies. When Maradona was first banned in 1991, 71 percent of his countrymen believed he was innocent. When the bad news came in 1994, Argentine grief was comparable to the defeat at the Falklands in 1982 and Perón's funeral in 1974. That day also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Veron's death.
After Maradona retired, the world was looking for the next king and "Diego", especially the Argentine. They have not won the Copa America since 1993. Chinese fans, on the other hand, have become accustomed to the cyclical anticipation and disappointment of listening to the over-the-top, almost clichéd "Argentina, Don't Cry for Me" every four years. In the 2019 Copa America match, the Argentine fans actually had a line in the lyrics: "We have Messi, he will bring us trophies." "But this trophy has not arrived for a long time.
Argentina's last time on top of the world was before the 1993 Copa America, the Artemio Franchi Trophy. This was the predecessor of the Confederations Cup, a contest between the Americas and the European champions, with Argentina defeating the 1992 European Championship winner Denmark. After that, the integration of the world was unstoppable, and the Artemio Frankie Cup was changed to the Confederations Cup after only two sessions, expanding its military to join the champions of Asia, Africa and other continents; in 1995, the European Ballon d'Or Awards were restructured, and players from all countries could participate in the election, no longer limited to European nationality. Maradona pinched his fingers, estimating that he could take six seats.
Global integration has accelerated capital expansion and driven the flow of players. As the center of football, Europe has established a global scouting network with unparalleled capital and professional advantages, recruiting talents and focusing on gold digging in Latin America. After all, football is the pride of Latin America, and so far the two world-recognized champions are from this magical continent. Dutch legend John Cruyff is regarded as the technical ceiling of European players, unique in Europe, but can match or even surpass him, Latin America includes Di Stefano (Argentine, later Spanish), Pele, Maradona and others.
It was as if the colonial era on the football map had begun, with a large number of South American players traveling to Europe to play, and Latin American talent hollowing out. In 1978, Argentina was able to pick a squad with all its all but Kempes; in 1986, 16 of the 22 were from the country; and by 1990, only 8 of the entire Argentina team remained in the country. In the 1980s and 1990s until the turn of the century, the Copa Libertadores and champions of the South American Copa Libertadores and the Champions League were inseparable in the Toyota Cup and the Club World Cup, but it was difficult to compete after entering the 21st century.
The Nuggets in Europe have also gradually extended downwards, and talented Latin American players, many of whom will be brought to Europe for training before the age of 18, even have agents and business endorsements. Take Messi, for example, the closest genius to Maradona, who was brought to Barcelona in 2000 at the age of 13. Locally, Messi received expensive growth hormone injections at no cost, which helped him grow to 170 centimeters.
It is true that sports science and specialization are higher in Europe. Before the 1986 World Cup, Maradona and other European players had to get a liver-saving injection every day, but Argentine domestic players did not know anything about it. He also trained in Italy for four months to prepare for the war, "all the training I received, I had never seen in Argentina at that time, not before, and not for a long time after that."
However, it is difficult to have the shock of the exotic genius of the 1980s and 1990s, just as Maradona emerged from South America in the 1980s. Today's geniuses no longer fall from the sky, not fission-type discovery and dissemination, but slowly trained and cultivated. The pervasiveness of the medium makes us no longer expect a genius to suddenly descend out of thin air in a foreign land.
Freed from the nourishment of the primitive soil, even the genius is no longer arrogant, and has become obedient, lacking a kind of native grass and wildness, as if disciplined. Although Messi has superb skills, amazing statistics, and countless club honors, he will also be criticized for lacking leadership temperament and leadership ability. His appearance has not changed the embarrassing fact that Argentina has not won a crown for 27 years.
Who was the last player to give us the sense of an exotic genius? One possibility we can think of is Brazilian star Neymar. When he appeared at Camp Nou in 2013, he had short blonde hair, a pair of studs and earrings (yes, he had to wear studs and earrings on one ear), and he exuded a sense of unruly youth. Neymar is one of the few superstars in Latin America to spend time in Latin America until the age of 21 before landing in Europe, even though he has long been spotted by the media. This is not because he is nostalgic for his homeland, and the postponement of landing in the European giants is more like a choice to maximize the benefits, just as he later jumped out of the contract and chose to join Paris Saint-Germain in default.
In 1995, when the Ballon d'Or decided to include international players, the Bosman Act, which had a more far-reaching impact on players, was born. The bill allows players to transfer freely after their contract expires, which is originally intended to protect the interests of players, but it has another effect when executed. After the introduction of the bill, the core players of small clubs are reluctant to renew their contracts, hoping to freely transfer to the giants after the expiration of their contracts, with high salaries and honors. This has made small and medium-sized clubs gradually lose their competitiveness, but the attractiveness of top giants has become greater and greater, resources have become more concentrated, football has shown the characteristics of trust, and the rich and poor are polarized. In 2000, 14 giants formed the G14 League in an attempt to form a super league without relegation.
Under the self-interested solidified hierarchy, Maradona's story of a civilian hero who "has a kind of prince and a kind of peace" singles out the great powers is like a long-standing legend that may not appear in reality. There was no Bosman act in his years, but there were "Seven Sisters in Serie A", Clubs such as Aston Villa in the Premier League, Ajax in the Netherlands, and Marseille in France competed in the Champions League, and only AC Milan could defend the title. Today, Real Madrid can achieve three consecutive Champions League titles, and emerging giants such as Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris will soon be able to rely on money to have strong competitiveness.
'Now everybody says 'this player is the best player in the history of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea', but I'm proud to be the king of Napoli history.'" Maradona once said. Today, the genius of the slums of Latin America is more willing to join the big teams, and in Europe, even if there is a supernova like Haaland who joins Dortmund, the media and fans also praise him as a good career planning path, speculating that sooner or later he will be the prey of the giants. "Dreaming of joining Real Madrid and Barcelona since childhood" has become the standard of foreign discourse for some young talents, and has been ridiculed by Chinese fans as "The Dream of the Emperor" and the "Dream of Ersa".
Maradona also said that in that era, they relied more on technology, and physical fitness was only the icing on the cake, while today's stadium emphasizes physical fitness competition, and the technical requirements are reduced. This may be because the European way of training today is more physical. The refinement of technology requires the flash of genius, and the training of the body can be systematized or even standardized. The development of sports science has weakened the skills of genius and made spirituality scarce.
The overall style of football is also more and more pursuing the ultimate efficiency brought by the operation of the system, and the training and techniques and tactics are more integrated and systematic. The team is steady, the pursuit of extreme efficiency, the play becomes utilitarian, to maximize the restraint of opponents, but also to minimize the dependence on the individual, even Brazil is becoming fast and concise, tactics with a strong European characteristics, systematic and utilitarianism prevailed. In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the German chariot relied on a strong overall operation, successively crushing the traditional two finalists of Brazil and Argentina and Latin America, so that Latin Americans lost the World Cup held on home for the first time. The giant wheels of Europe have taken away the last pride of Latin American football.
In this context, Mourinho weaves a "bus" defensive counterattack, and even Guardiola's "Tiki-Taka" passing combination and on-the-spot counter-attack are based on the tactical philosophy of not losing the ball as much as possible, "the less the opponent has the ball, the more likely we are to win". Once the opponent has the ball and is threatened on the counter-attack, immediately make a tactical foul and use a yellow card to block the attack. Assuming maradona's "goal of the century" happened today, it is very likely that 1 or 2 players will be put down before entering the box.
However, this kind of foul can no longer be the flying leg that was not uncommon in Maradona's era, rhineker called it "a tackle that can be kicked as high as the waist". Before maradona retired, football began to promote attack and ornamentation. After 1997, back tackles were banned, tackles with bright soles were directly red carded off, and players were protected. This is not the same as it was then. Maradona had broken his leg from tackling the ball from behind, and he had to tie two legguards to his legs when he played, "they're definitely going to shovel me".
The Bosman Act and the elimination of malicious fouls reflect a trend toward protecting players. Under the pervasive prying eyes of modern media and social networks, players as individuals have also become sensible and obedient under this protection, and have been packaged up, suffering from gains and losses under the burden of idols and in the face of directly related interests. Genius is no exception, and genius is no exception. C Ronaldo is Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi is Messi, the idol is required to be perfect, and there can be no more Diego and Maradona-style divisions. Over the years, we have gradually seen that Messi cut off his long hair, Neymar removed his earrings, these two Latin American geniuses, no longer have the sense of freedom and youth when they first appeared on the European stage. They all grew long beards, which represented maturity, but also lost a trace of youthful spirit.
The word "professional" in professional players is infinitely magnified, and attention is required to be highly concentrated. However, as a human talent, instinct is suppressed and weakened. C Luo relied on years of puritanical self-discipline, hard training and research to achieve a gorgeous transformation; and even if it is as strong as the "cosmic team" Dream San Barça from 2009 to 2011, it is also a generation of la Masia Academy who has been consistent for many years, insisting on training a set of tactical philosophy and playing style, and carefully polished.
These achievements are gratifying, but what we can have at the moment seems to be professional people who play a certain role in the professional system and carry some or more functions, and there is one less hero who steps on the seven-colored clouds, he is a genius, a king, and a lover. Diego Maradona and his miracles became the only one. He is not only a player, but also the ultimate shock of "one person is a team". He is more of a living person, the combination of Diego and Maradona, the interweaving of art and wildness, beautiful and complex, fascinating.
In March 2020, Maradona returned to Boca Juniors' Candy Box Stadium, one of the few public appearances in his last year. In 2001, he delivered a farewell speech at the stadium. He said he had made mistakes all his life, but football had always been his savior, and "football cannot be tarnished". This time, he struggled to speak and could only wave in greeting. His face was puffy, his stomach was round, and his expression was slightly sluggish due to excitement. And that didn't stop the men, women and children in the stands, chanting Diego's name like they fell in love. Their songs and emotions poured out like a downpour.
After his death, tens of thousands of Argentines lined up to pay their respects at the presidential palace. They shed tears and wept in the spiritual hall, and they continued to sing Diego's name as if to make a final homage to God. Diego fell asleep quietly, draped in the Argentine flag and the number 10 shirt. Few people know that years ago, he put the Argentine shirt, the number 10 and the left armband on himself. Diego and Maradona have been flesh and blood ever since, never separated.
(References: Maradona Autobiography: My World Cup, Dirty Face Angel: A History of Football Argentina, Asfer Cappadier's Documentary Maradona and CALCIO: A History of Italian Football)
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