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KUALA LUMPUR: Five years ago, the streets of Brickfields were festooned with posters and flags of soccer icon Diego Maradona, dressed in veshti Indian garb.
There was great anticipation for the visit of the Argentine superstar who came to the city as a businessman, 23 years after having led Boca Juniors to a 2-1 victory over Selangor in a friendly match at the Merdeka Stadium.
The occasion, on May 20, 2015, was the inauguration of the Boby & Maradona Gold Diamond jewelers of which he was a partner of the Indian jeweler Boby Chemmanur.
Maradona did not wear veshti when entering the store at NU Sentral Mall, but no one was disappointed. Rather, there was thunderous applause from dozens of fans.
Wearing a blue shirt of the Argentine national team, he danced to the music and threw flying kisses to his fans from the stage.
Maradona’s power surpassed the presence of Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor, who was also there.
He surprised the crowd by keeping the ball in the air for minutes with his feet, chest and head before directing the balls into the crowd.
His presence that day motivated hordes of youth in Brickfields to play soccer.
Among the crowd, some wearing the blue and white striped Argentina soccer jersey, was a 15-year-old high school student and Brickfields resident, S Ganeshram.
Ganeshram recalled: “Seeing the person behind the ‘Hand of God’ in my neighborhood was a surreal experience and a dream come true.”
Now a second-year biotech student at the International University of Malaya-Wales here, Ganeshram, said it was a magical moment that left an indelible mark on his life.
“The mall was full of fans and we had to run to every floor to see it.
“One of my friends cried when Maradona waved his hands in all directions. That was the power that man had over his fans, ”said the Argentine fan.
As a golden boy in 1982, Maradona cast his spell on 25,000 soccer fans when he lit up the Merdeka Stadium with his silky skills in the match against Selangor Invitation, led by Malaysian legend Mokhtar Dahari.
Maradona scored one of Boca’s two goals after circling goalkeeper R Arumugam as guest player Fandi Ahmad of Singapore found the net for Selangor.
The photo of Maradona and Mokhtar exchanging flags before kick-off was widely shared today on social media after news of the Argentine’s death broke.
