November 25, 2020 will always remain as the most sorrowful day for all football lovers on the planet. With unbearable pain, it’s time to face the truth- Diego Armando Maradona is no more. The genius was ill for the past few weeks, but that wasn’t enough to give room to the thought that the end was just knocking on the doors. If football has been bestowed the status of an art and not just a game, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that one of the finest artists has made an unceremonious exit. Isn’t 60 years and 25 days too premature to depart?
With the utterance of the word ‘Maradona’, the image of an ‘artist’ seamlessly destroying the opponent’s defence with a rare combination of impeccable skills and speed instantly conjures up in the mind. These have been his trademarks which made him an icon and but for him, the game of football wouldn’t have reached such overwhelming height, transcending borders and cultures. In any discussion about the genius, June 22, 1986 (it was well past midnight in India and the whole of Calcutta and Bengal was awake) invariably forms the onset of talks. It must be so since hardly before this day in the quarter final match against England at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, the football world has seen such a 10-second bout of mesmerizing skills. Millions and millions of football enthusiasts search the YouTube still today to have the taste of this ‘magic’ and one must recall BBC radio commentator Bryon Butler’s unforgettable narration which started with “Maradona turns like a little eel,” and ends with “And that is why Maradona is the greatest player in the world.” But, one can also find the ‘magic’ of this sort plentifully from this 5’5’ man in the jerseys of Boca Juniors, Napoli or FC Barcelona.
Such has been the impact of Maradona on the followers back in India, mainly in Calcutta and Bengal that it bifurcated the fans, up till then predominantly tilted towards Brazil due to Pele, into two camps and the division will perhaps be forever. In December 2008 when he landed in Calcutta, he was awe-struck at the madness of the lakhs who wanted just to have a glimpse of him at the Mohun Bagan ground. He asked with surprise in Spanish which translated into English stands like this- “so many die-hards of mine in this part of the world?” It was really so and will be that forever.
Just an iconic footballer? Never. Having tasted what poverty is, he was the perfect representative of the oppressed class of the entire world. It’s a fact that Maradona would have lived for a much longer period had not drugs been his companions.
It’s really difficult to capture the tragedy into words. At the most, it can be said it’s pain unbearable for all football lovers.  

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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