Supported by INPROTUR, the Argentine Embassy in Mexico unveiled a painting as a tribute to the magic of the Number Ten, at the Azteca Stadium, on the 35th anniversary of the Argentine Soccer Team’s triumph at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Five goals – one of them, the best in the history of Soccer World Cups – a brilliant performance and the second FIFA World Cup for the Argentine team. This is how we could summarize the role of Diego Armando Maradona in the 1986 Mexico World Cup – if such heroic deed can be put into just a few words.
On the 35th anniversary of such unforgettable achievement, which crowned the team coached by Carlos Bilardo and led on the field by its number 10, the Argentine Embassy in Mexico unveiled a painting to honor Maradona at the Azteca Stadium in the city of Mexico, with the support of the National Bureau of Tourism Promotion (INPROTUR) and the presence of Argentine Ambassador in Mexico Carlos Tomada and Undersecretary of the Mexican Embassy in Latin America and the Caribbean Maximiliano Reyes.
Minister of Tourism and Sports Matías Lammens highlighted: “Today, it is very exciting for Argentinians to unveil this painting where the best goal in history was scored. Diego will always be in our hearts and in the memory of all soccer lovers. We are going to pass his legacy down to the coming generations.”
As Tomada pointed out: “We are proud to unveil a painting to pay tribute to our beloved Diego, the greatest star of Argentine soccer, at the mythical Azteca Stadium, where he performed his best sports deeds and which he always considered to be his second home. I would also like to thank the National Bureau of Tourism Promotion, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Argentina, as well as the support of businesspeople and the Azteca Stadium, who helped us make all this possible.
Finally, INPROTUR’s Executive Secretary Ricardo Sosa said that “Maradona has always been, and will be, an unforgettable celebrity for Argentinians. His geniality is recognized worldwide and this is what we are told. His legacy is a lesson for all sports players and one more reason for the traveling community to learn about Argentina’s history”.
The painting, an initiative of Ambassador Tomada, which depicts Maradona with a Mexican hat as a way of showing the feeling of brotherhood between the two Latin American countries, is the work of Jorge Alderete, an Argentine painter and designer who has lived in Mexico for the last 20 years. The work is 15 meters high and 5 meters wide and has been placed facing a plate which commemorates the mythical Goal of the Century scored by the Number Tenin the game against England for the 1986 World Cup Quarter Finals. This is one of the corners that soccer lovers and tourists visit the most at the stadium.
The work, which took two weeks of permanent work, was completed thanks to the co-operation of INPROTUR, the Argentine Embassy in Mexico, the Azteca Stadium, the team led by Jorge Alderete as well as Argentine and Mexican businesspeople.
“The Genius of World Soccer attacks from the right…” begins a well-known commentary of the famous second goal that Diego scored against the English team. Just as Maradona’s geniality was unique, his country, Argentina, also offers countless landmarks and examples of excellence and hospitality. Once the health conditions are restored, we will be welcoming the international traveling community with open arms, so they can be touched by Pelusa’s story and feel true champions in our country.
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