UK documentary revisits Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona runs onto the field at the Saint Paul Stadium, also known as Stadio San Paolo, in a western suburb of the Italian city of Naples for a football game in this 1984 file photo. He played for the Napoli football club. /Courtesy of Contents Panda

By Kim Se-jeong

“Maradona is God.”

This is how the football legend Diego Maradona was referred to by people of Naples, the home city of Italian football club S.S.C. Napoli, as well as football fans all across the globe.

British filmmaker Asif Kapadia revisited Maradona, zooming in on the rise and fall of one of the greatest football stars of all time, in the documentary “Diego Maradona,” which hit local theaters last week.

Born in Argentina in 1960, the Argentine footballer played for FC Barcelona, then moved to S.S.C. Napoli in 1984. He helped the team win Serie A and UEFA Cup in the 1988-89 season.

When Maradona joined S.S.C. Napoli in 1984, the team was among the worst performing in the league, on the brink of losing its place in Italy's major league. He led Napoli to clinch the Serie Championship in 1986-87.

“For people of Naples, Maradona was more than God. What do you think about this?” Maradona was once asked by a journalist.

Maradona is the main narrator throughout the 130-minute documentary but the film director Kapadia also quoted journalists, his wife, mother, sister and others from time to time.

Maradona began to appear in church paintings, one of which portrayed him as the hands of God as if he was Jesus. One sports journalist also shared an anecdote in which a local nurse stole Maradona's blood sample and took it to a local church.

He got the hero's treatment. His popularity made it difficult for him to move freely outside his home and his residence was always surrounded by fans trying to get a glimpse of him and get his autograph.

Maradona responded to the Napoli fans' love adequately. He didn't skip an opportunity to thank the fans for their support and love and played hard to make his fans happy.

The Maradona-Napoli love affair began to fall, culminating in the FIFA World Cup in Italy in 1990.

Maradona played for his native team of Argentina and faced Italy in the semifinal. The venue for the match was in Naples, which put many of his fans, and Maradona, between a rock and a hard place.

“It was the biggest mistake by FIFA,” the narrator said.

As Argentina beat Italy, local fans quickly turned sour. The stadium was filled with rage and when he returned to Napoli after the World Cup, Maradona felt there was no place for him.

Drugs and prostitution caused his fans to turn their backs on Maradona. He was addicted to cocaine almost the entire time he was with Napoli ― which was only discovered years later ― and he was also accused of seeking out prostitutes.

The director attempted to show the personal side of Maradona.

The footballer also admitted he had a son from an affair in Naples in the documentary. He also said he lied about it to the media because he wanted to maintain his relationship with a long-term lover, Claudia, back in Argentina whom he later married. He has two daughters with Claudia.

A point the director tried hard to get across was Maradona being an individual with weak points.

Despite skyrocketing popularity, he didn't forget that he was a boy from an urban slum of Argentina.

“There were two sides in him ― Diego and Maradona. Diego was unsure of himself and a mama's boy. Maradona didn't want to reveal the Diego side of himself to continue his success,” Maradona's physical training coach said.