“It was not so easy to forget that for many years Maradona had committed the sin of being
the best, the crime of speaking out about things
the powerful wanted kept quiet,”
–Eduardo Galeano
Diego Maradona, one of the greatest football players of all time was born on 30 October 1960, in Lanus, Argentina. Maradona attained the status of national hero when his goals against England in the quarter-final of the World Cup (1986) pushed Argentina to the semi-finals. While many across the world know him as a flawed football legend, in Latin America and places as far as Palestine, he was more than the “god of football.” He was a fighter for social and political justice. It was his politics, after his retirement in 1997, which kept him people’s imagination. Nor did he remain aloof to their concerns. On his right arm, he tattooed Che’s image; on his left calf was Fidel’s face tattooed. The tattoos were not any fashion statements. For him, Fidel was a second father who advised him and opened Cuba for him. It was Fidel’s guidance that Maradona turned more political and vocal against social injustices. On one occasion he said, “In my heart I am Palestinian.” The legend passed on the 25th November 2020, just four years later after his second father, Fidel Castro left this mortal world on the same day four years ago.