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Pope Francis described the legendary Argentine soccer Diego Maradona, who arrived late on November 25 at the age of 60 due to health repercussions, as “the poet in the field”, in an interview dedicated to the sport published this Saturday in the newspaper ” Gazeta dello Sport “.
The pontiff spoke about his compatriot who helped lead the Napoli team to the glory of Italian football and the Argentine team to the 1986 World Cup title: “He was a great hero who brought happiness to millions of people, in Argentina and Naples “.
And “Jorge Mario Bergoglio”, who met Maradona in 2014 in Rome during a peace match, “was also a fragile man”, alluding to the health problems and drug problems that accompanied the Argentine talent.
The 84-year-old head of the Catholic Church confirmed that he had prayed for the deceased and sent a rosary to his family, accompanied by words of condolences.
The pope, who supports the Argentine club San Lorenzo, referred to the similarities between the sport and its beliefs, criticizing “rich heroes” who have become “lazy and almost bureaucratic in their sport.”
“Personally, I believe that a little hunger is the secret to never feeling satiated, to preserve this passion that dazzled them as children (athletes)”. For the Pope, sport is marked by the victories of those who “sweat their brow” over those who “were born with talent in their pockets.”
The first Pope of South America pointed out the issue of doping in the world of sports, “not just cheating, but a shorthand that denies dignity.”
“You can’t make any heroes in the lab,” he added. This happened and we’re not sure it won’t happen again, even if we hope it won’t! But over time, we will distinguish between the original talents and those that were built: the hero is born and develops through exercises.
And he added that doping amounts to “stealing the spark that God has given him, through his mysterious ways to some in a special way and in greater quantity … a clean defeat is better than a dirty victory.”
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