They spoke of the “hand of God” and revealed outbursts of anger in Ullevaal – VG

The evening had turned into night at the Argenta Tower Hotel in Buenos Aires. I sat excitedly in the room and waited, along with talent scout and agent Terje Liverød and photographer Helge Mikalsen. A little after 01:00 he appeared. Along with a couple of bodyguards and his infamous agent Guillermo Coppola.

Diego Armando Maradona. Enjoy. The myth. Nasjonalidolet. The poor boy from Villa Fiorito. He gave them the nickname El Pibe de Oro. Since 1982 he had considered him the best footballer in the world.

At the time, in May 2002, he was 41 years old and completely out of the spotlight. He had no club affiliation, he had no coaching duties. He lived an obviously unhealthy life and spent a lot of time in Cuba. But now, through Terje Liverød’s contacts, he had agreed to meet Norwegian VG for an interview. Totally unconditional. For a sports journalist, it was like an unreal dream.

protocol: How do you remember Diego Maradona?

He was freshly showered and dressed in black. He was overweight, had blue and green eyes, and displayed his tattoos with pride. For the Argentine revolutionary hero in Cuba, Che Guevara. And the great leader of the country, Fidel Castro.

And Diego Maradona talked about everything. About his hatred of the United States and President George Bush and how he loved Cuba. About his family and the disappointments he had inflicted on them. About the Norwegian footballers for whom he had great respect. On how he loved little Norway’s victory over mighty Brazil in 1998.

On the match against Norway in Ullevaal just before the 1986 World Cup gold.

And I remember the pitch well. The grass was yellow from the snow.

He also spoke of a violent rage in the locker room after the game.

‘I trotted back and forth in anger. In the end, the doctor asked what was happening and refused to show me an appointment he had with a young man after the game. It was bullshit. And then I remember there were very beautiful women there. But we couldn’t even greet them. Coach Carlos Bilardo took care of us all the time. We should not have contact with women. “

And then there was the hand of God, then. The goal he stole in the duel against England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. In the quarterfinals of the World Cup at the Azteca Stadium on June 22, 1986. I will never forget the answer he gave:

“If I say it’s by hand, then the judge is portrayed as an idiot. Whether it was hands or not, I couldn’t go to the referee and ask him to drop the case. I achieved that goal. If I had found $ 100,000 on the street, I wouldn’t. would have returned “.

We also talk about the bad things in life. Those who were probably the reason death has caught up with him so soon:

“Regarding the mistakes in my life, which you will surely ask; I made them myself and did not ruin others. I also want him not to hurt my daughters.”

Or this:

“When a famous soccer player takes drugs, he suddenly becomes the worst in the world. He has no right to speak, he has no right to be a coach. Fortunately, they cannot take away the goals I have scored. They are on video.”

Diego Maradona was really interested in soccer. And in constant opposition to pampering, he thought that people’s game had been stolen.

“It is very easy to underestimate a footballer. I am not very intelligent, but no leader could tell me what to do in football, not even the richest in the world. I have always been, I am and I will always be, whatever I decide. respect for others, but if others don’t respect me, I can be difficult. “

And it happened that it got difficult, but not tonight in Buenos Aires. He spoke incessantly for an hour and a half. When he finally left the room, it was his assistants who couldn’t take it anymore. Before leaving, he signed a shirt that he wanted to give away:

“To Norway, best regards Diego Maradona (10)”

Four years later I found it again. Meanwhile, he broke down and fought for his life as a breather in Buenos Aires. That was in 2004.

Now we sit once more in a hotel room. This time in Leipzig during the World Cup in Germany in 2006. The scene was different. He had other people around him. Former teammates with whom he played futsal. He was an expert commentator on Spanish television.

And he was thinner. He was much more like the younger version of himself. The meeting was shorter, more professional. He answered questions about the World Cup and the trip he was going to make to Norway later in the year to play “Showbol”, a scheme that Terje Liverød was behind.

It seemed that Maradona’s life was on the right track.

He thanked God for being where he was, compared to the situation a few years ago:

“It has given me the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my daughters and go back to playing soccer. That is my passion. It means everything to me.”

For a time, the rally continued, and in 2010 he led his beloved Argentina as coach of the national team during the World Cup in South Africa. In recent years, he has had various coaching assignments, but it gradually became apparent that his health bothered him. The news in early November about the brain hemorrhage operation was disturbing, and now it’s over.

Diego Armando Maradona was only 60 years old. It is not only Argentina that is crying. Many of us think this is unspeakably sad.

Hvil i fred, El Pibe de Oro.