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12,576 days have passed since Diego Maradona’s “Mano de Dios” goal, not that those who work for England’s newspapers are counting. An issue of resentment permeated several covers Thursday, hours after the Argentine soccer player’s death at age 60.
As Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández declared three days of national mourning, editions in Europe, Argentina and the world portrayed Maradona as a hero and a villain, one who led his country to the glory of the 1986 World Cup. in Mexico and snatched it from another.
If L’Équipe’s “God is dead” headline equates to the farewell of a hero, then the Daily Star revealed that he is in the camp of “villains” by posting a photo of the moment in the quarterfinals of the Copa del World Maradona towered over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton and used his fist to hit the ball into an empty net alongside the headline “Where was the VAR when we needed it most?”
The subtitle of the star “Maradona in the hands of God” – echoing Gary Lineker’s previous tribute on Twitter to mixed reviews – was also popular with other UK newspapers, including the Daily Mirror, which also lamented that Maradona was “in the hands of God” and gave a mixed standing ovation to “a hero, a villain, a cheater and a genius “.
The back cover of the Mirror was adorned with the words of Lionel Messi: “He leaves us but does not leave, because Diego is eternal.”
The Sun ran the same headline followed by “England’s Nemesis at the World Cup and one of the all-time greats.” Inside, Mark Irwin wrote: “Few people in history have divided public opinion as much as the man who won a World Cup almost single-handedly while blatantly cheating on and off the pitch. Yet for those of us fortunate enough to witness Maradona in his prime, none of his flaws can detract from his genius. “
The Metro did the same as well, though it only dedicated two-thirds of the cover to the distress of Meghan Markle’s miscarriage as well.
Both the Daily Telegraph and the Times portrayed Maradona in his most glorious moment, on the shoulders of his Argentine teammates lifting the 1986 World Cup trophy alongside front-page reports on the heavy economic fallout from Covid.
The Independent’s broader view of that shot frames the words “Maradona, the imperfect genius of soccer.”
The Guardian broke the pattern with a close-up of Maradona’s face, his gaze at the sky, along with Pelé’s tribute: “I lost a great friend and the world has lost a legend.”
The Daily Mail, possibly due to editing time issues, did not mention Maradona at all on its cover, however Shilton gave his opinion inside and appears unwilling to forgive Maradona for that handball goal.
“What I don’t like is that he never apologized,” he wrote. “He never at any time said that he had cheated and that he would like to apologize. Instead, he used his ‘Hand of God’ line. That was not right. It seems like he had greatness in him, but sadly he had no sportsmanship. “
The French newspaper L’Équipe opted for the former through the front page headline “God is dead” along with a photo of Maradona with Argentina’s jersey at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Libération took a simplistic approach. A relatively small one-word headline, “Celestial,” sat under the feet of a young Maradona from behind, that mop of dark hair and a number 10 jersey entering the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
In Italy, too, the news temporarily pushed developments in the coronavirus pandemic and world events out of the limelight.
Italy’s largest sports newspaper, Gazzetta Dello Sport, ran a headline that read “For number 10, Maradona, football cries more than all. The newspaper also quoted Pelé as saying: “I will play soccer with Maradona in heaven.” Lionel Messi, another Argentine who is considered one of the best active players, was quoted as saying: “Maradona has not left. He is eternal. “
Corriere Della Sera, the largest newspaper in Italy, said: “Goodbye Diego: YOU ARE football.” The Roman daily Il Messaggero called Maradona “A football king with a Neapolitan heart.”
La Marca de España ran the same foreground chosen by The Guardian along with the words: “If I die, I want to be reborn and I want to be a footballer … and I want to be Diego Armando Maradona again.”
The most important newspapers in Argentina, La Nación and Clarín, also paid tribute.
On the web page of La Nación de Argentina, there are 22 stories about Maradona’s death.
I love Argentina’s love for soccer and legend.
“Maradona cried in his last months, now the country cries.” Https://t.co/Ca4G4hols6
– Ioan Grillo (@ioangrillo) November 25, 2020
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