CELEBRITY
One year after Diego Maradona’s death, world honors ‘Golden Kid’
The world on Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Diego Maradona, regarded by some as the best player of all time and a man adored in his home country Argentina despite, or perhaps because of, his human flaws.
Argentine club matches are to mark a minute of silence and players will arrange themselves in a “10” formation on the pitch to honor Maradona’s famous jersey number, while special masses will be held — including in the Buenos Aires slum where Maradona grew up — to mark the day he died.
In Naples, Italy, where he spent part of his career, two statues for the striker are set to be unveiled.
“We’ll miss you for the rest of our lives,” said the Argentine Football League in homage on the eve of the anniversary, with a video of the life, goals, and many trophies of the man nicknamed “Pibe de Oro” (Golden Kid).
Maradona died of a heart attack last November at the age of 60, weeks after undergoing brain surgery for a blood clot.
The former Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli star had battled cocaine and alcohol addictions for years, and was suffering from liver, kidney and cardiovascular disorders when he died.
His death shocked fans around the world, and tens of thousands queued to file past his coffin, draped in the Argentine flag, at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires during three days of national mourning.
He may be dead, but in Argentina Maradona is everywhere, from ubiquitous mural frescos that portray him as a deity to television series about his life and even a religion bearing his name.
His two goals in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals, which saw Argentina triumph over England just four years after the Falklands War, made Maradona an instant hero.
‘Hand of God’
His rags-to-riches story, stellar sporting achievements, complicated life and dramatic death entrenched his place in the Argentine psyche.
In the cities, Maradona’s name is memorialized with countless examples of graffiti: “Diego lives,” “10 Eternal” and “D10S” — a play of words with the Spanish word for god, “Dios,” and Maradona’s famous jersey number.
Murals in Buenos Aires depict him with angel wings, as a patron saint complete with halo and scepter, or back here on Earth, kissing the World Cup.
Maradona is perhaps remembered as much for his “Hand of God” goal — which illegally came off his hand in what he ascribed to supernatural intervention — as for his second in the same match against England which would later become known as the “Goal of the Century.”
These extremes — “a virtuous goal and a sinful goal” that also reflected Maradona’s conflicted life of virtue and vice — help explain people’s fascination him, according to Latin American columnist Eduardo Galeano.
The “Hand of God” goal, he said, transformed Maradona “into a sort of tarnished God; the most human of Gods.”
For historian Felipe Pigna, Maradona is “a hero with many imperfections” — a mixed bag of qualities that reflects “what it means to be Argentinian.”
‘Creator of happiness’
An investigation into the star’s death was opened following a complaint filed by two of Maradona’s five children against neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, whom they blame for their father’s deteriorating condition after surgery.
A panel of 20 medical experts convened by Argentina’s public prosecutor concluded in April that Maradona’s treatment was rife with “deficiencies and irregularities” and said his medical team had left his survival “to fate.”
The case is closely followed by a nation transfixed, competing for headline space with the court case of an inheritance dispute involving two of Maradona’s daughters.
Adding to the floor-to-floor news coverage, this week, a Cuban woman who had an affair with Maradona as a minor 20 years ago, accused him and his entourage of abuse, including rape.
Maradona’s second daughter Dalma, 34, has said she will not participate in any of the commemoration events Thursday for what she described as “the worst day of my life.”
“A year after his death, Diego, a creator of happiness, continues also to cause suffering,” the Argentine daily La Nacion said this week.
“Through the sadness over his death, because we loved him so much. And through the evidence of his self-destruction. The great contradiction between public happiness and private suffering.”
A growing speculation that football icon, Cristiano Ronaldo may switch faith to Islam has been further fuelled by Waleed Abdullah, the former goalkeeper of his Saudi Arabia club, Al-Nassr.
According to Morocco World News, Abdullah remarked during a programme, Al-Hissa Al-Akhira, that Ronaldo is open to conversion to Islam.
The former Al -Nassr goalkeeper cited Ronaldo’s clear integration and adaptation to Saudi Arabian culture to back the claim.
“Ronaldo genuinely wants to convert to Islam. I spoke to him about it, and he expressed interest. He has already prostrated on the field after scoring, and he always encourages the players to pray and follow Islamic religious practices,” said the former Saudi international.
Abdullah went on to explain that Ronaldo has taken a deep interest in local culture, especially Islam and its practices, in order to better respect and understand his Muslim teammates.
Demonstrating a great deal of kindness toward them, the Portuguese star has ensured that his teammates have time to pray between training sessions.
Abdullah shared more insights into Cristiano Ronaldo’s growing interest in Islam, revealing how the superstar has shown respect for Islamic practices since his arrival in Saudi Arabia.
“When the call to prayer sounds during training, Ronaldo asks the coach to pause the session until it’s finished,” Abdullah explained.
“In the beginning, I was close to Cristiano because he wasn’t familiar with the country’s culture, the club, or other aspects. He was curious and often asked me questions about certain details.”
According to Abdullah, Ronaldo has always been interested in converting to Islam. Before his move to Al-Nassr in the winter of 2023, reports suggested that his former Real Madrid teammates, Mesut Özil and Karim Benzema, had tried to convince him to become a Muslim.
The former Al-Nassr goalkeeper pointed out a particularly telling moment: “When Ronaldo prostrated on the field after scoring, all the players shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ in unison.”
However, Abdullah added to Al-Hissa Al-Akhira that regardless of whether Ronaldo decides to embrace Islam, his discipline and commitment as a player are unquestionable.
“He is an extremely disciplined and dedicated player, and it’s this discipline that has brought him to this position,” he said.
Abdullah also spoke about Ronaldo’s humility, noting that both he and his son behave with simplicity and warmth toward others.
“Anyone who comes to Saudi Arabia appreciates him and feels comfortable with him,” he added.
Barcelona jersey
Lionel Messi has shared a video of his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, and their children riding a bike.
One of them, the nine-year-old Mateo can be seen wearing Lamine Yamal’s Barcelona shirt!
Last year already, Messi suggested Lamine Yamal would play a ‘prominent’ role at Barcelona, also predicting the teenager to win the Ballon d’Or one day.
As for Mateo Messi, the kid currently plays in Inter Miami’s academy. His older brother, Thiago, said in June he’d like to play alongside Lamine Yamal in the future
-Tribuna
ADWAIDH RAJAN, BBC
He’s better known as a Premier League and international footballer, but Alex Iwobi wants his music – as well as his on-pitch exploits – to inspire young people.
After starting his rap career earlier this year, the Fulham and Nigeria midfielder has released his second single, titled What’s Luv?.
Iwobi’s debut offering was Don’t Shoot in June, which has been streamed almost 60,000 times on Spotify.
The 28-year-old, who goes by the name ’17’, collaborated with his former Arsenal team-mate Chuba Akpom (performing as Skoli) and former England youth international Medy Elito (Don-EE) for his first release.
Iwobi’s debut song was aimed at deterring youngsters from street violence, while his latest release is a “celebration of his African roots”.
“Growing up in an area of London that is challenging for some people, I know how hard it can be and I’m grateful to have a platform to try and make a difference,” Iwobi said.
“I hope that my music is another way of proving that young people do not have to feel they have to fit in just one box. I want them to be encouraged to achieve their dreams, to put their focus into positive things.”
Iwobi has started all nine Premier League matches for Marco Silva’s Fulham this season and scored his second goal of the campaign in a 1-1 draw against his old club Everton last week.
“Creating music doesn’t take anything away from my football, it helps me switch off. I will always work hard and try to improve in my sport, but this is a good use of my spare time,” he said.
Footballer forays into music
Iwobi, however, is not the first footballer to go into music.
A reworked version of folk rock band Lindisfarne’s track Fog on the Tyne, with vocals by Paul Gascoigne, reached number two on the UK singles chart in 1990.
Former England striker Andy Cole’s cover of the Gap Bands’ song Outstanding peaked at number 68 while then Tottenham and Three Lions team-mates Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle released Diamond Lights, which reached number 12 in 1987.
Kevin Keegan’s 1979 song Head over Heels in Love made it to 31 in the charts.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is an accomplished drummer, while former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin invented his own musical instrument which he called the Dube.
A masked rapper named ‘Dide’ rose to fame last year, claiming to be a Premier League footballer.
-BBC
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