Maradona: The Boy. The Rebel. The God. by Guillem Balagué

Author:Guillem Balagué [Balagué, Guillem]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409157786
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2021-07-07T22:00:00+00:00

22

THE 1986 WORLD CUP IN MEXICO: THE SUPERSTITIONS

‘You are the genetic sum of the best of Argentine football, and perhaps the world. If you concentrate and believe in yourself, the miracle of a World Cup win can be transformed into reality.’ Fernando Signorini told Maradona that several times in different wrappings during the last few days before the tournament.

‘He was the figurehead of the down-at-heel, of the boys whose only entertainment was Diego scoring a goal on Sunday,’ El Profe explains. ‘It’s not just about playing football, no, no, no, and he was aware of that and happy about it.’ Others may shy away from such a challenge; this twenty-five-year-old merely asked for directions to Mount Olympus to confront the gods. Perhaps without knowing it, he had been preparing for this tournament all his life.

From childhood, we are praised for being obedient. As children we believe people will only recognise us, and indeed want to acknowledge us, if we are compliant. In short, we do what we are told. We grow up and discover what we really yearn for, and we learn that those who obey end up wherever their boss tells them. Those who disobey will walk their own path, draw their own boundaries and go where they wish. Maradona learned very early on to say no. He was fifteen years old when he became not only the head of his family but the master of his own destiny. His struggle and survival relied on his rebellious nature, to not do what he was told.

The Latin culture, with its strong Judaeo-Christian influence, is based on the strength of community and sharing, a moral diktat contrary to the demands of human survival: that the one who is selfish and rebels for his own cause, survives best. That is exactly how Maradona’s evolution took place, while he was dealing with the unexpected complications of continued success. Those who triumph say some kind of personal harm is inevitable, and it is a challenge not to feel isolated once you reach the top. There is no vaccine for success, no guidebook for coping, no strategy for the changes experienced. You are forever under the gaze of others, from your parents to friends, fans and journalists. No longer can you behave as before, your actions anaesthetised and conditioned to your observer’s expectations.

You may not wish to change. You may believe you can return to your roots with some trifling gesture, but this is to combat the truth that transformation is inevitable. Fame and success bring as many disadvantages as advantages, and both must be accepted and tolerated. Entry cannot be refused to one or the other, and all are building blocks of ourselves. Maradona’s personality was rebellious, egotistical and mature before his time. He learned to cope with growing up on display in a showcase, ogled by the world’s covetous eyes. On the pitch and in the dressing room, he knew what was good for him and what was not, who helped and who didn’t.

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