Diego Armando Maradona became the voice of a people who saw themselves in his rebellion: “My father was a Peronist, my mother adored Evita, and I was, am, and always will be a Peronist,” he wrote once, reaffirming his political identity. When the Church disappointed him, he said bluntly: “I heard the Pope say that the Church was concerned for the poor children.” And indeed, Maradona is reborn every day in the memory of a people that will never stop loving him. He also left phrases that reflected his struggle, his pain, and his pride: “They cut my legs off,” after his expulsion from the 1994 World Cup, was the cry of a man from whom his dream of representing his country was torn. In his more combative side, he immortalized pearls like “The turtle escaped,” “A shame no one has that kind of respect, master,” or the unforgettable challenge “Segurola and Habana 4310, seventh floor. But sell the roof, you beast, do something!”. That mix of brutal honesty and common sense made him a natural spokesperson for popular sentiment. His legacy lives not only in stadiums or shirts with his number. Because as he himself affirmed: “The ball doesn't get dirty.” He pronounced it in his farewell at La Bombonera in 2001, and with it he summarized the duality of his life: the vulnerable man and the eternal myth. In the same vein, his famous “It was the hand of God,” after the goal to England in Mexico '86, transcended football to become a popular metaphor. His tongue was sharp, but also wise. Not only for his unforgettable goals or sporting feats, but also for his word: that mix of genius, audacity, and humanity that turned many of his phrases into part of the Argentine cultural DNA. “I made a mistake and I paid, but the ball doesn't get dirty” was one of the most emblematic. Diego Armando Maradona would have turned 65 this October 30. When he said “I grew up in a neighborhood in Buenos Aires deprived of light, water, telephone,” he portrayed better than anyone the humble origins of that kid from Villa Fiorito who challenged the world. The “10” also left phrases that reflected his struggle, his pain, and his pride: “They cut my legs off,” after his expulsion from the 1994 World Cup, was the cry of a man from whom his dream of representing his country was torn. In his more combative side, he immortalized pearls like “The turtle escaped,” “A shame no one has that kind of respect, master,” or the unforgettable challenge “Segurola and Habana 4310, seventh floor. But sell the roof, you beast, do something!”. That mix of brutal honesty and common sense made him a natural spokesperson for popular sentiment. Four years after his physical departure, his figure is as present in life as ever.
