Diego Maradona remains one of the world's biggest sporting legends. The Argentine player and winner of the World Cup and multiple titles across his career with teams like Napoli and Boca Juniors died 5 years ago today. His memory remains alive in all senses of the word, with there being an investigation into his death ongoing in Buenos Aires, the city of Naples celebrating his birthday a month ago, and some of the athletes who played with him sharing their thoughts and feelings regarding Maradona's sporting genius.
The Barcelona-based publication Ara spoke with former teammates of Maradona, sharing their insights on him. Before he achieved his league career heights with Naples, Maradona played for a few years in Barcelona. His time there is remembered mostly by his controversies, injuries, and illnesses. Still, many of his former teammates look back on those days with fondness.
"For me, he was a god. An exceptional person with his teammates. He had something special, an aura I've never seen in anyone," said Luis Fernandez.
"He was a very generous man. They say he left partly for money, and it could be, because he was always spending, giving gifts. He gave us young players everything," said Juan Carlos Pérez Rojo.
Napoli's tribute
In October of this year, to commemorate Maradona's birthday, a car painted in Napoli's trademark light blue colors was seen driving around the city, carrying a statue of Maradona as they celebrated what would have been his 65th birthday.
The statue was taken out of the city's Maradona Museum, with the car driving it around the city for the duration of the day.
"Diego is not dead. His body died, but his soul lives on inside us Neapolitans, inside all the people who love him. I have been celebrating Diego's birthday for years. Diego is always present. And the beautiful thing is that Diego belongs to the people," said Massimo Vignati, the owner of the museum, as reported by AP News.
Maradona's trial in Argentina
Maradona died five years ago due to respiratory failure, with an investigation reopening due to friends and family's concern regarding his treatment. He developed an illness in November of 2020, receiving treatment at home and dying shortly after, with one of his nurses finding him dead.
His children and one of his siblings have opened the investigation to determine if his death was a homicide, with the trial scheduled to kick off next March.