Maradona: The Icon Who Never Left Napoli

11/21/2017

(While Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, let's take a tour of Napoli with master photographer John McDermott.)

He is from Argentina but claimed Napoli as his spiritual home.

Diego Armando Maradona played 259 matches for SSC Napoli and scored 115 goals, the most in franchise history.

He lived on a hill in Posillipo, like an ancient prince, and he had the gall to insist Neapolitan fans should root for Argentina against Italy in the 1990 World Cup semifinal because, really, Italians do not consider Napoli to be part of Italy.

His successful penalty kick put Argentina ahead to stay in the shootout. Then Argentina sputtered in the final against West Germany, further north in Rome.

Eventually, his paranoia and dissolution forced him to leave Napoli, but in a way he has never left. His stubby young figure on paintings and posters resists the heat and humidity and grime in the ancient city.

A man of a certain age takes out an ancient clipping that recalls how Maradona declined a transfer to one of the rich clubs up north in Italy. For a mountain of money, he said, “I am Neapolitan and I do not betray my people.”

Photos © John McDermott 2017

The memories of Maradona leapt out at a recent visitor, John McDermott, who covered eight World Cups, I believe. John played calcio for an Italian social club in North Beach, San Francisco, and now he and his wife Claudia live in a northeast corner of Italy. He and Claudia were on holiday recently; Diego Armando was everywhere.

But it wasn't all calcio. While John and Claudia were strolling, they saw this:

John McDermott's web site is:
www.mcdfoto.com

bruce

11/21/2017 11:17:25 pm

george,

as long as england exists maradona will be the opposite of venerated.

bruce

George

11/22/2017 08:25:48 am

They've got other troubles. G

bruce

11/22/2017 09:49:38 am

george,

johnson and may for starters.

however, they did qualify for the world cup.

bruce

Altenir Silva

11/22/2017 10:02:47 am

Dear George,
I know that Maradona is not an good example of a perfect athlete, but I think in the soccer world, I really love two players: Maradona and Garrincha. Of course, we have great players like Socrates, Pele, Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Cubillas, Zidane and others. But for me, Maradona and Garrincha are the best.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Altenir (from Brazil)

Altenir Silva

11/22/2017 10:06:00 am

Sorry! I want to correct the sentence to: "Maradona is not a good example..."

George Vecsey

11/22/2017 03:44:48 pm

Dear Altenir: You do extremely well in English.
I never saw Garrincha but I did see Brazil in '82.
Socrates and Falcao just amazing. But they lost.
Maradona is not an example to anybody. I wrote about him in my soccer book -- once tried to interview him in Napoli. The club driver even knocked on his palazzo door for me, to no avail. He was truly paranoid and irresponsible -- skipped practice the day I was at their camp. His romp through England in 86 (forget the hand ball goal) was one of the greatest ever in the World Cup. But a role model? No,

Brad Smith

11/22/2017 10:03:08 am

So great to see you here, feels like home... Photos by Mr. McDermott only make it that much nicer.

George Vecsey

11/22/2017 03:47:51 pm

Thank you. Are you the Brad Smith who used to work for the NYT? Took one for the team in Athens in 2004? Or do I remember another Brad Smith writing in to my site? Either way, thank you. John is a good friend (we have the same birthday but I am older) and has an amazing portfolio, not just about sports. Best, GV

Brad Smith

11/23/2017 12:37:50 am

I'm the one who loaned you his glove in Beijing!

George Vecsey

11/23/2017 09:14:05 am

Brad, great to hear from you. Yes, the glove. That was the most fun hour in Beijing (tied, maybe, with one free evening on the hill and visiting a Uighur restaurant in some vanishing hutang with Jennifer 8 Lee and Chris Clarey.)
I took your glove up on the roof of the media center and played catch with a local journalist name Hu who had played catcher for the BB team at a Beijing university. The security guards were watching as we aired it out for half an hour -- so much fun to throw a ball 100 feet back and forth in the Beijing smog.
Keep that glove oiled!
Did you ever work with John McDermott? He worked mostly for Newsweek but I don't think he did Olympics.
Great days working together....Be well, GEorge

George Vecsey

11/23/2017 01:00:34 pm

Duh. John worked numerous Olympics from 84 on...and I spaced out on the memory of 1994 in Norway when he got us into the Casa Italia up on the mountain -- with the help of a few of my NYT souvenir pins. Good Italian food....and Alberto Tomba going from table to table to check everybody out.

John McDermott

12/11/2017 06:55:31 am

Very kind of you Brad. Thank you!

Alan Rubin link

11/22/2017 11:21:13 pm

Maradonna was a force to be reckoned in any soccer game despite the beatings that his legs usually took. Although admired by his fans, he was certainly was not a role model for anyone.

I do not compare stars from different eras, but my all time favorite was Pele. I first saw him play with Santos at Yankee Stadium when he was 18, about 1960-62. I was sitting behind one of the goals when Pele, with his back to the goal, broke a scoreless tie from outside the 18 with what became his famous bicycle.

I was also present at his first Cosmos game at Downing Stadium at Randall's Island in NYC.

I first learned of John McDermott's work when he posted on Georges tribute after the death of Giorgio Chinaglia. John had covered Giorgio and had some insightful recollections.

Since then, I regularly check John's photography site to review some of my favorites and to check for any additions.

Northern Italy is a great place to retire, but so would most areas of Italy.

George Vecsey

11/23/2017 09:21:13 am

Alan, Altenir wrote me a note about how Garrincha set up some of Pele's goals with great fakes and runs through defenses.
Maradona was a brilliant passer. I saw him play at S. Paolo once in tandem with Careca. As good a pair as you could imagine. And his pass in Torino to Caniggia was gorgeous, only goal of match to beat Brazil.
John is living up in the mountains of NE Italy, where German is the alternate language. His portfolio grows all the time.
Happy Thanksgiving to you both. G

Comments are closed.

QUOTES
“I don’t think people understand how Covid affects older Americans,” Mr. Caretti said with frustration. “In 2020, there was this all-in-this-together vibe, and it’s been annihilated. People just need to care about other people, man. That’s my soapbox.”
---Vic Caretti, 47, whose father recently died of Covid at 85.
---From an article by Paula Span, who covers old age for the NYT, which currently has 2646 comments, the majority criticizing the American public – and public officials – for acting as if the pandemic is “over.”
Classic wishful thinking, at a lethal level.
Please see:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/11/health/covid-pandemic-seniors.html

Maradona: The Icon Who Never Left Napoli

Categories

Buy the Book