Maradona’s death at age 60 on Wednesday after a heart attack has sparked both mourning and celebrations for a true sports star, who was a genius on the soccer field but lived a life marred by struggles with addiction.
On a day of great excitement, the World Cup winner was taken in a hearse Thursday night to the Bella Vista Cemetery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where his parents are also buried, for a small private ceremony of your family and close friends.
Thousands of Argentines lined the roads as the procession passed on the hour-long journey from the presidential palace in downtown Buenos Aires, where Maradona had been in state for the day.
Previously, there had been clashes between police and fans and a feverish atmosphere more akin to a noisy soccer game than a wake, with fans climbing through the palace gates to get as close to their hero as possible.
In Italy, the crowd tied hundreds of blue and white scarves to the bars of their former club Napoli, while in France, the cover of the sports daily L’Equipe screamed: “God is dead.”
In Argentina, three days of national mourning were called for the player who led the country to victory in the 1986 World Cup and is revered with cult status. Tens of thousands took to the streets, not all wearing masks, despite fears over the Covid-19 pandemic. Some left flowers and messages at their childhood home.
“Maradona for me is the greatest thing that happened to me in life. I love him as much as my father and it is as if my old man had died,” said Cristian Montelli, 22, a supporter of the former club. the Boca Juniors star. her eyes after having passed the coffin.
“If I die young, hopefully upstairs I can play ball and watch a Boca game with him,” added Montelli, who had a tattoo of Maradona’s face on his leg.
MILE LINES LONG
During the day, Maradona’s body lay in condition in a closed coffin in the Casa Rosada presidential palace in the central Plaza de Mayo. He was draped in the blue and white national flag and an Argentina soccer jersey with the number 10 that had been part of his nickname “D10S,” a play on “dios,” the Spanish word for God.
Since early Thursday morning, thousands of fans had formed a meandering line estimated to be more than a mile (1.6 km) long through the streets of Buenos Aires near the plaza, after a night of mourning and memories.
The fans who entered the palace, many got lost, threw soccer jerseys, flowers and other items towards the coffin.
“He was someone who touched the sky with his hands but never lifted the ground,” said President Alberto Fernández. He visited the coffin on Thursday.
When authorities began closing access to the central square on Thursday afternoon, skirmishes broke out, and police used rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse the rebellious crowd.
Tensions eased after Maradona’s body was taken to the cemetery, surrounded by a large procession of police and others on motorcycles and cars.
In Naples, meanwhile, fans placed flowers, photographs of children, candles and even a bottle of wine in a rapidly expanding makeshift shrine.
“DIEGO BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE”
Top athletes and world leaders, including Argentine-born Pope Francis, have paid their own tributes.
“Diego belongs to the people, Diego belongs to Argentina, Diego belongs to the country,” said Darío Lozano, waiting in line to see the coffin.
Loved in his homeland after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 and adored in Italy for leading Napoli to two Serie A titles, Maradona was a player with a unique talent who emerged from the tough streets. from Buenos Aires to reach the top of their sport.
The 1986 World Cup featured a quarter-final match against England, where Maradona scored two of the tournament’s best-known goals: an illicit “Hand of God” goal and another that followed an incredible dribble.
Maradona also battled various health problems over the years as a result of his addictions. Earlier this month, he was hospitalized for symptoms including anemia and dehydration and underwent emergency surgery for a subdural hematoma, a blood clot in the brain.
On Thursday, Maradona’s lawyer, Matías Morla, said he would call for a full investigation into the circumstances of the death, and criticized what he said was a slow response by emergency services.
In Italy, Massimo Vignati, owner of a Maradona museum in Naples, said the player had almost become a family.
“My mother was Maradona’s Neapolitan mother. He was our twelfth brother,” he told Reuters, surrounded by my memories of the player. “We must remember him with his smile as always. He made his last dribble and suddenly left us.”
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