Buenos Aires, Argentina Wilson Cisnero leaned against a brightly painted brick building on which was a simple, small sign that he had stuck on. “God is with God,” he wrote, interrupted by the number 10.
The 25-year-old had driven two kilometers to the famous Buenos Aires district in La Boca because, like many others, he did not know where else to go when he heard that Diego Maradona had passed away.
In front of La Bombonera, the home of Boca Juniors, one of the most famous football clubs in Argentina, crowds gathered that Maradona once counted as a star.
“Argentina is Maradona,” said Cisnero, the devastation shown by his glassy eyes. “You see all this shame with coronavirus and now this other shame,” he complained. “Now football remains without its god.”
Wilson Cisnero stands in front of a sign that reads “God is with God” in memory of Diego Maradona in Argentina [Natalie Alcoba/Al Jazeera]The same pain was written on the faces of the Argentines on Wednesday as the nation came to grips with his unexpected death. To the world he was Maradona. For Argentina he was “El Diego” – a child who sprouted from the slums, dazzled like no other on the pitch, dominated the sport and delivered World Cup fame that has not yet been repeated in Argentina.
Maradona suffered a cardiac arrest at his home north of the capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday. He had recently undergone brain surgery and brought health concerns to the news. He was 60 years old.
“It’s something that cannot be described,” said Rafael Bellido, 49, who was sitting on the steps of La Bombonera next to his partner Marcela Reynoso when they shared their partner, a traditional Argentine infusion. “El Diego was the person who represented us best,” he said. “If he was playing and you were watching and you wanted to curse, he would swear. He reflected us. In addition to all of the things he’s done on the court. “
“Now is the time when Argentine society must give back all the joy he has given us,” he added. “And how long has he made us happy. A long time. Every time he touched the pitch. You can’t describe it. “
Marcela Reynoso and Rafael Bellido mourn Diego Maradona in Argentina [Natalie Alcoba/Al Jazeera]As honors came in from around the world, President Alberto Fernandez declared three days of national mourning and canceled all his engagements as the government prepared to hold a wake at the Presidential Palace. The government expects a million people to pay their final respects. In his honor, government buildings are illuminated in the colors of the Argentine flag.
In a statement, Fernandez said it was fortunate for Argentines to have lived through the Maradona era, to have seen his greatness and to have enjoyed his affection.
“I doubt we’ll ever see another player like Maradona in every way, not just because of his technical qualities, but also because of that courage, that strength, that strength he showed every time he put on the shirt, that he had to wear defend. An exceptional player who just made us happy, ”he said.
“Maradona was a real man, he defended what he believed in,” added the president. “He’s a good example of what ordinary Argentines are, so visceral. Most of all, I always stressed that he was never a scam – he said what he didn’t like. “
By afternoon, hundreds of people had gathered at the base of the Buenos Aires Obelisk and sang Maradona’s praises when a huge banner curled its face in the wind. Outside of La Bombonera, the crowds broke out into intermittent songs and dances.
“Diego is not dead, Diego is not dead, Diego lives in the village,” the crowd would sing. Everyone had their own story, their own reason to be there and what it meant to them. His incredible ups and downs, which he also went through, also belonged to them.
“There will always be critics,” said Reynoso. “The most important thing is that he has found his own happiness.”
Diego Covelo marks a sign in memory of Diego Maradona in Argentina [Natalie Alcoba/Al Jazeera]Diego Covelo, who considers himself a member of the Maradoniana Church, founded by fans in 1988, pasted a Maradona poster inside his Boca Juniors jersey on the outside of the stadium. He and a few friends stood guard outside the clinic during the football legend’s recent hospitalization.
“Of course, if we’ve been there in good times, we have to be there in bad times,” said Covelo, 35.
Josue Mustafa, 24, saw children playing soccer on the way to La Boca and thought to himself, “This is Maradona’s legacy.
That will stay with everyone – with the young and with the people who are older. “
Standing under a huge mural of El Diego in La Boca, Blanca Salursi remembered seeing him play as a teenager in one of the shanty cities of Buenos Aires
“I also came from the slums, you come from below,” said the 60-year-old. And with a wink in her tearful eyes as she turned to leave, she said, “Never forget he was the best there was.”
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