Argentina Bids Final Farewell To Favorite Son Maradona

Huge crowds bade a grief-filled adieu Thursday to
Argentina’s favorite son Diego Maradona before he was buried on the
outskirts of the capital after a farewell that at times descended
into chaos.

As darkness fell, the football legend was laid to rest after a
ceremony attended by family and close friends in the leafy
surrounds of the Bella Vista cemetery outside Buenos Aires.

One of the greatest footballers of all time, the World Cup
winner died on Wednesday aged 60, sparking mourning around the
world.

“I thought Diego was immortal, I thought he would never die on
us. I feel a terrible sadness for a person who made us so, so
happy,” said 63-year-old bus driver Antonio Avila outside the
cemetery.

The peaceful farewell at the cemetery contrasted sharply with
the sometimes raucous scenes of his send-off in Buenos Aires that
seemed somehow in keeping with the player’s tumultuous life.

There, riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes
with stone-throwing fans that briefly threatened to mar a day of
mourning for a beloved hero.

Thousands bid farewell

Tens of thousands of people had queued from early morning to
file past the star’s coffin, draped in the Argentine flag and the
player’s No.10 jersey, at the presidential palace.

But as the day wore on, fans queuing outside the palace grew
increasingly impatient, and some took over a courtyard inside,
where they chanted slogans, forcing officials to move Maradona’s
coffin to another room as a security precaution.

Despite an earlier announcement extending the lying-in-state by
several hours, officials shut the doors, and riot police clashed
with stone-throwing fans on streets around the palace, arresting
several people.

Later, the hearse bearing Maradona’s flag-draped coffin rolled
through the gates of the presidency building and into the streets
of Buenos Aires.

Fans crowded onto roadsides and highway bridges as the funeral
cortege sped towards the western outskirts, surrounded by police
outriders with sirens blaring.

Dozens of photographers and cameramen followed close behind on
motorcycles.

Outrageous skill

The outrageously skillful Maradona, widely remembered for his
“Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup
quarter-finals, died of a heart attack while recovering from brain
surgery.

“He was the best in the world, we’re going to miss him and his
death broke our souls,” said Diego Armando Cabral, a 29-year-old
bricklayer in Buenos Aires who was named after the footballer.

Tributes poured in from around the world following the star’s
death.

His career and life were sometimes tainted by a loose
interpretation of the rules of the game and a crippling addiction
to cocaine and alcohol.

Lionel Messi, Argentina’s modern-day superstar, led the tributes
as he said: “He has left us but he will never leave us because
Diego is eternal.”

Brazilian legend Pele, 80, constantly compared with Maradona in
the debate over football’s greatest player, said he hoped they
would one day “play together in the sky.”

 ‘Hand of God’

Maradona, born into poverty in Lanus, just south of Buenos
Aires, on October 30, 1960, also played for Argentine clubs
Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors, as well as Spanish giants
Barcelona before becoming a hero in the working-class southern
Italian city of Naples.

In his most infamous match, he leapt and used his fist to score
past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the 1986 World Cup
quarter-finals in Mexico City, unseen by the referee. Maradona
memorably described the goal as “a little with the head of Maradona
and a little with the hand of God.”

Nevertheless, just minutes after that goal, the diminutive
Maradona weaved through six English defenders from the halfway line
to score an unforgettable solo second that has been honored as
FIFA’s “Goal of the Century.”

The two contrasting goals perfectly encapsulated the mixture of
brilliant skill and often outlandish behavior that ran through
Maradona’s life.

His career was crowned by his performances at that World Cup,
when he captained Argentina to glory.

Maradona also inspired Argentina to the 1990 final, only for
West Germany to take their revenge. At the 1994 World Cup, he
failed a doping test and was sent home from the United States in
disgrace.

Maradona’s lifestyle took a heavy toll on his health. He was
hospitalized three times in the last 20 years for serious health
issues.

 ‘Ciao Diego’

His extraordinary talent was evident from a young age, and after
starring for Boca Juniors, he was transferred to Barcelona. After a
turbulent time in Spain, a then-world record transfer to Naples
came to define his club career.

Maradona enchanted an entire city by leading the
then-unfashionable Napoli to their only two Italian league titles
in 1987 and 1990, befriending a mafia family along the way.

In Naples, heartbroken fans gathered at the Stadio San Paolo
stadium to lay candles, scarves and shirts, creating a makeshift
shrine to their hero.

“He was our Sunday warrior,” Fernando Carfora, 46, said.
“Maradona didn’t play with his feet, he played with his head.
Nobody scored Maradona’s goals.”

Maradona’s playing career went into swift decline after leaving
Napoli under a cloud in 1991 following another failed drug
test.

As a coach, he led Argentina to the 2010 World Cup before spells
with clubs in the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and his home country
again — the last at Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata — but he could
never hit the heights of his playing days.

Maradona married his long-time girlfriend
Claudia Villafane in 1984. They had two daughters,
Dalma and Gianinna, but the relationship was
punctuated by Maradona’s extra-marital affairs, and they divorced
in 2004.

He also had a son, Diego Junior, born in Naples in 1986,
although he only acknowledged paternity in 2004.

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