[ad_1]
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Few people had the power to say no to Diego Maradona while he was still alive, but his family seems to have set foot in one last unusual request.
Maradona, who died of a heart attack on Wednesday at age 60, told friends during the coronavirus lockdown that when he died he wanted to be embalmed and displayed for fans, according to Martín Arévalo, a journalist close to the former Argentina captain. .
“When the idea for a statue came up, he said, ‘No, I want to be embalmed,'” Arévalo told TyC Sports.
Arevalo, one of the few reporters who enjoyed Maradona’s trust, confirmed to Reuters the details of the footballer’s wishes, adding that Maradona wanted “to stay with us forever.”
Two other legends of modern Argentine history, President Juan Perón and his wife Eva Perón, were embalmed.
One of the people present when Maradona proposed the idea was his lawyer Matías Morla, who suggested the former Napoli and Boca Juniors striker formalize his request before a notary, something he did on October 13, Argentine media reported.
Morla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The family, however, was ready to bury Maradona along with his parents in a cemetery on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Tens of thousands of people lined up to say the last goodbye to Maradona’s coffin in the presidential palace on Thursday, with the large crowd causing disorder and clashes with police.
(Reporting by Ramiro Scandolo, written by Andrew Downie, edited by Ed Osmond)
[ad_2]
