There’s a reason why I root for Boca Juniors and Napoli.
My friends know I am a massive Liverpool fan and have rooted for the club since 1979 as a kid. I do follow other clubs in other leagues.
But Boca Juniors (in Argentina) and Napoli (in Italy)? That’s entirely because of Diego Maradona.
God rest his soul, Maradona, passed away, Wednesday evening, 25th of November, due to a heart attack.
In the pre-internet Manila of the 1980s, I was able to watch Maradona when the FIFA World Cup rolled around because it was always shown on local television (though very few matches). If I wanted more of the Beautiful Game, I had to buy second hand magazines because if you went to bookstores or magazine stands, they were all basketball.
At the precursor of Booksale, PDPI, they sold European football magazines. Ditto with National Bookstore Superbranch in Cubao that had all these football books and mags on sale at its top floor.
That is where I read more of Maradona’s exploits. So I gravitated towards Boca Juniors although he only played there for one season after which he was sold to Barcelona (he did come back at the twilight of his career).
The blue and gold kit of Boca Juniors is one I aspired for. In fact, the shirt is one of my prized jerseys.
Watching a match at La Bombonera is in my Bucket List to this day.
And of course, there’s Napoli.
The football team of this southern Italian city were massive underdogs as compared to traditional powers Juventus, Milan, and Roma.
And Maradona led them to two Scudettos in 1986-87 and 1989-90, the Coppa Italia in 1986-87, the UEFA Cup trophy in 1988-89, and the Supercoppa Italiana of 1990. Twice his Gli Azzurri, as Napoli was nicknamed, finished second in the league.
He was that good.
If Pele was for me in the 1970s (I rooted for the New York Cosmos and Brazil), Diego was for me in the 1980s.
I am such as huge fan that I went on a Maradona pilgrimage in Naples in June of 2015. It cost me almost 300 Euros but it was well worth it.
The docu-series Maradona in Mexico?
I absolutely love it. I hope to purchase it on DVD.
A friend of mine once asked if I was personality based when it comes to the football teams I root for.
The answer is, if you live in a Third World country and far from these clubs, you tend to. My being a fan of Liverpool stemmed first from the Beatles although none of the Fab Four roots for the Reds much less are football fans.
For me, Maradona was larger than life. Well, he did have that Hand of God moment in 1986. And I am not sure if that overshadows his Goal of the Century when he dribbled around six English defenders to score an amazing goal.
Rest in peace, Diego Maradona.
Thanks for the memories.
Image credits: AP