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Lilian Mariño Espinosa / Carlos Rodríguez Salcedo – [email protected]
The story of Diego Armando Maradona is not only synonymous with the businesses that were made with his magic, but also a symbol of what world football has been. The Argentine star, whom many dared to describe as a god, did not survive a cardiac arrest yesterday at the age of 60. However, as with all legends, and especially those of sport, his figure will always be remembered.
Maradona was a successful company, surviving even after his death and after his own failures. He wore the shirts of Barcelona, Sevilla, Argentinos Juniors and Newell’s Old Boys. His left foot left his mark on La Bombonera with the Boca Juniors shirt and changed the history of Napoli, where he won a Uefa cup and two scudettos. But above all, his 1.65 meter figure was the symbol of success and unity for Argentina. Of success, because with the albiceleste, Pelusa wrote the most important chapters of his career: he was world champion in 1986, where he invented the best goal in the history of a World Cup.
But also of union, because when the wounds of the Falklands War were still open, not only did he score that goal that Victor Hugo immortalized with his voice, but in that same game he used the hand of God to eliminate the English.
That size was the height of 10, because the history of Diego is not only part of the history of football, but of entire generations. It is a symbol of popular culture and the protagonist of songs, books, movies, commercials and even the occasional political campaign.
His fame and talent left him a fortune estimated at US $ 100 million, which included him in the ranking of the 50 richest Argentine personalities in the country. Here, in addition to the payments for football contracts, there are thousands of dollars for advertising campaigns and even millionaire gifts such as a US $ 350,000 diamond ring from the president of Dinamo Brest.
His story began in 1981-82 when shortly after his debut with Argentinos at the age of 15, he was signed by Boca Juniors with a contract of US $ 4 million. There, he only lasted a year since his game took him to Barcelona, who bought him for about US $ 8 million; a record figure for the time. After the expulsion from the Catalan squad, Napoli did not hesitate to sign him and the record transfer fee was broken again, with a payment of close to US $ 10.5 million. In Italy, Diego was greeted by 75,000 spectators and reached one of his peak moments with 115 goals in 259 games. In the end, he was a living legend with 679 matches played and 345 career goals.
Napoli’s contract agreed to a US $ 800,000 bonus, US $ 400,000 for playing friendly matches and US $ 1 million for advertising. This last point was fundamental in his career, since they considered him a magnet for investors.
As a coach, he made his debut at Deportivo Mandiyú de Corrientes in 1994, with a contract of US $ 1.6 million, and in 1995 he joined Racing, where he directed 11 games. Years went by to fulfill his dream of leading the National Team, where he won 18 games, which gives him the title of being the most effective coach of the Albiceleste. These figures and his fame years later brought him a contract with Al-Wasl for about US $ 34.5 million. In his career as a manager, he also earned more than $ 20 million as honorary president of Dinamo.
The closing was done in Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, a club that achieved business for US $ 15 million just with the announcement. Le Coq Sportif, for example, offered to quadruple the jersey contract and other sponsors doubled their investment with the signing. The club also added 3,000 members in 3 days and sold 1,000 shirts with the 10 in 24 hours.
They are going to have to excuse me, Eduardo Sacheri wrote, “don’t screw me with the fact that I measure it with the same yardstick with which I am supposed to judge other mortals.” With Maradona, he lives a legend to whom, using his own words, one can only say: “thank you for having played football.”
