Maradonart

By Mark Kaufman

The World Cup grows ever closer. While it rolls around every four years, one thing is certain, people talk about Diego Maradona 24/7/365. El Diez is a saint/sinner, hero/villain, genius/bum who is worshipped in two countries, Argentina and Italy (well Napoli anyway), and he is reviled in the rest of the world. Whether it is the Goal of the Century or the Hand of God, the talent, the drug abuse, or his politics, people love or hate Diego Maradona. This year he is the coach of the Argentine national team and I suspect he will write more history and controversy in South Africa. Here are some examples of art dedicated to El Pibe de Oro, street art, murals, statues, and of course at the lower left the famous shrine in Napoli. At bottom is a picture of the man himself, tellingly with a tattoo of Che Guevara, another iconic figure on his shoulder.