【Text/Observer Network Zhang Zhaodong Editor/Lin Xi】
The sudden death of a generation of ball kings and legendary star Diego Maradona added a touch of sadness to the already doomed 2020.
The Argentine Presidential Palace issued a notice on the same day that the country entered a three-day mourning period due to maradona's death.
The superstar, whose life was full of controversy, was mourned by the whole world after his death.
For Argentina and the entire Latin American continent, the legendary star born in the slums of Buenos Aires is more than just a football star, he is a national hero of Argentina and a banner of left-wing politics on the Latin American continent.
Challenge the "leading big brother" of the powerful
Throughout Maradona's life, he never forgot his origins, always stood with the people at the bottom, rebellion and fearlessness have always been his life credo.
Fiorito, a slum in Buenos Aires, where Maradona was born and raised.
Growing up here shaped Maradona's mind and character: rebellious, extreme, contemptuous of the powerful, and self-defeating.
Maradona once said that Fiorito made him so determined that he was even a little cold. He was sometimes a revolutionary and a saint, sometimes like a rogue and a jerk.
After joining Boca Junior Club in Argentina, Maradona came to the fore. The fans of Argentina's most prestigious club are mostly blue-collar workers and the poor.
Boca Youth's home Maradona box lights up all night
After moving from Boca Juniors to La Liga giants Barca in 1982, the grassroots Maradona struggled to adjust to life there. His Barça career has not been successful, and Barca have not accepted the new king.
Barca mourns tweets
In 1984, Maradona moved to Serie A side Napoli, a weak team that was still struggling to relegate.
In the following seven years, Maradona brought two league titles, two runners-up and one UEFA Cup for Napoli.
The rise of Napoli is seen as a victory for the weak over the powerful, and Maradona is the "leading big brother" who rebelled against the football aristocracy.
"I just want to go to Naples because Juventus is a dirty magnate, and my whole life is to turn decay into magic!" Maradona said.
Napoli citizens mourn Maradona outside the stadium
After Maradona's death, Napoli also paid the highest tribute to the hero, and the city held mourning activities, and the Stadium of San Paolo, the home of the Napoli team, was also renamed the Stadium of Maradona.
revenge! National hero of Argentina
'Of course we said in the pre-match interview that football has nothing to do with politics, but all we have in mind is revenge, for the Argentine lads who died in the Falklands.
Years later, Maradona recalled the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, the match against England.
In that match, Maradona led Argentina to a 2-1 victory over England. In this game, he left timeless classics: "The Hand of God" and "Goal of the Century", which drew a strong mark on the history of football.
"Hand of God"
"Goal of the Century"
However, this game is much more than that.
In 1982, the famous Anglo-Armagh War broke out between Britain and Argentina over a sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands (known to britain as the Falkland Islands) in the South Atlantic, in which britain defeated the Argentines on their doorstep.
The defeat in the war seriously dampened the national pride of argentines.
Therefore, the matchup with England at the 1986 World Cup was not just a simple game for the Argentines, but a revenge.
Maradona dominated the game, using two goals that have gone down in the annals of football, bladed the enemy, led the team to step on the "corpse" of the Englishman to advance, and eventually won the championship.
"I said it was God's hand after the game, but it was Diego's hand, and it felt like a plunder of the British!" Maradona later recalled in his autobiography that he would stop at nothing to avenge this war opponent, which was his thought at the time.
By the turn of events, Maradona became a national hero of Argentina.
Che Guevara's fan and Castro's old friend
After his success, Maradona became a political celebrity and was even received by the Pope.
During the 1990s, Maradona supported right-wing forces and Argentine President Menem's neoliberalism. However, Maradona soon discovered that the right-wing position did not correspond to his origins and personality characteristics, and he turned to the left.
Maradona's left arm is tattooed with the totem of the Latin American revolution, Che Guevara.
He once said: "Many Argentines are missing Che Guevara, the famous Cuban communist, who killed them, and he made us proud." ”
And Che Guevara's quote "In a revolution, a man either wins or dies." "It has always been Maradona's favorite slogan.
If Che Guevara was Maradona's spiritual icon, castro was his mentor and political leader in life.
Maradona's left leg is tattooed with Castro, and he used this left leg to complete the "goal of the century" and perfect revenge.
After Maradona retired from the army, he was plagued by drug addiction and alcohol addiction for a long time, and was plagued by various scandals, and his body also suffered from heart and respiratory diseases.
Castro took Maradona to Havana, Cuba, and arranged for a medical team to conduct drug rehabilitation treatment specifically for Maradona.
According to Reuters at the time, during Maradona's treatment in Cuba, Castro played the role of his "strict father".
Maradona later said: "I almost died, at that time many hospitals in Argentina did not want to treat me, thinking that I was a big trouble, and it was Field who opened a door for me in Havana." ”
In Maradona's autobiography I Am Diego, he dedicates an inscription to Castro: "Dedicated to Castro and, through him, to the people of Cuba." ”
In 2016, after Castro's death, Maradona personally went to Havana to mourn, telling the media: "I'm going to Cuba to say goodbye to my old friend." ”
The "image spokesperson" of left-wing political movements in Latin America
In addition to his friendship with Castro, Maradona befriended Chavez, the leader of Venezuela, another Latin American country.
Maradona and Chavez
As Venezuela's military and political strongman, and the political leader of the Latin American left after Castro, Chávez's political stance is extremely anti-American and tough.
Maradona, on the other hand, was Chávez's staunchest anti-American ally and political brother.
Maradona once said on Chavez's television show: "I hate everything that comes from America, I hate it with all my strength." ”
At the 2005 Central American Summit, latin Americans from all walks of life held an anti-American grand series, maradona, Chávez and former Bolivian President Morales as the three leaders of the movement, and the three of them were also regarded as Castro's three disciples in his later years.
Chávez (first from left), Maradona (center), Morales (first from right)
Chávez died of cancer in 2013, but Maradona's friendship with Venezuela has not been broken.
After Maradona's death, Venezuelan President Maduro also mentioned in his memorial tweet that Maradona had secretly helped Venezuela supply food.
Although Maradona is regarded as the political leader of the Latin American left, for the Left politicians in Latin America, Maradona exists more as a symbol, a "political image spokesman".
Whether it is Castro or Chávez, all they value is Maradona's influence as a football superstar, hoping to achieve his political goals.
In 2010, workers went on strike at the venues of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, raising the flag of Maradona's struggle with Che Guevara
Compared to other soccer stars who are involved in politics, such as George Weah, now president of Liberia, and Karaze, who is now the mayor of Tbilisi, Georgia, Maradona's path to politics is very different, never attached to any political party or recognized by the mainstream government of any country.
Liberian President George Weah 1995 World Footballer of the Year
Maradona's political views and political activities are also much more simple, such as wearing a "Stop Bush" T-shirt when attending a protest meeting, scolding Bush for trash; not allowing his daughter to watch American blockbusters such as "Spider-Man" and "The Lord of the Rings", saying: "In front of your father, those American monsters are not heroes." And whenever the Pope delivered a poverty alleviation speech, Maradona declared that the Holy See should distribute its vast wealth to the poor...
Kusturica, the director of the documentary Maradona, once said of Maradona: "<b>If he had not become a footballer, he would have become a revolutionary. </b>”
"Only China is not a colony of the United States"
In the summer of 1996, Maradona visited China with the Argentine Boca Youth Team.
According to the Guangzhou Daily today, after eating a meal of Peking roast duck at the famous Kunlun Hotel in Beijing, Maradona told the Accompanying Chinese friend on the spot: "You have such delicious things, don't introduce those American fast food, a country should defend its own traditions." ”
When visiting the Forbidden City, Maradona sighed: "This is the greatest museum in the world, and I hope that the robbers who have robbed this museum will return the artworks belonging to the Chinese people!" ”
Like Chávez and Castro, Maradona was a fan of Mao and Mao's thought.
In fact, in the Third World countries of the last century and even in many European and American countries, Chairman Mao, like Che Guevara, has long since transcended the political realm and is regarded as a totemic icon and a popular cultural symbol.
Many people have great admiration for Chairman Mao, and Maradona is no exception.
Paul Breitner, former famous football star of the Federal Republic of Germany, famous Maoist
In the documentary "Maradona", was asked whether China would also become a colony of the United States? Maradona replied very seriously: No, no.
All the way to the past.
On November 25, 2020, Maradona's glorious ups and downs, a life of glory and controversy came to an end.
He has been admired by thousands of people, and has also been pointed out by thousands of people; he has led the team to the top of the world by his own strength, and he has also been embarrassed by drugs and scandals.
The Englishman who fell at maradona's feet once described him as "angel and devil", which is the most apt.
But in any case, Maradona had already branded his name on the land of the Latin American continent, just like the two totems he had tattooed on his body, which he regarded as idols.
<b>Source:</b>
1. Li Wei and Lin Nan Maradona, Leftist Symbols in Latin America, Times Report (Second Half), July 2010
2. Zhang Nan, Maradona returns to Cuba for drug treatment, International Online, September 8, 2004
3. The Unruly Maradona's "China Affair", Guangzhou Daily Client, November 26, 2020
4. Documentary Maradona, directed by Emile Kusturica, 2008
5. CCTV, World Soccer - Maradona: The Devil and the Angels of the World Cup, May 1, 2018
6. Maradona's autobiography "I Am Diego"
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