Diego Maradona Is Mourned in Argentina

Mr. Maradona wore his leftist politics on his sleeve, and Ms. Magalhães noted that he would publicly criticize the leaders of FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, “without worrying about repercussions.”

“Maradona was a contradictory character who garnered a lot of empathy,” said Rodrigo Daskal, a professor who is a researcher at the Sports Study Center at the San Martín National University. “Maradona was always authentic and never tried to dress up any part of his life.”

Mr. Maradona’s candor about his struggles with alcohol and drugs was appreciated by many of his fans, especially those who had experience with addiction. “My old man had problems with drugs, who am I to judge Maradona?” said Pablo Neyret, 42, whose eyes welled up with tears.

Songs were written in Mr. Maradona’s honor, and some of his phrases entered Argentines’ everyday lexicon. One was “they cut off my legs,” which he said after being kicked out the 1994 World Cup for doping.

Victoria Fassa, 43, called Mr. Maradona “a rebel who was passionate above all else and said what he thought without caring about the consequences.”

She added, “He was 100 percent Argentine.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/world/americas/diego-maradona-argentina-mourning.html