London, Friday.
I was sitting in the car last night when the news came that the Argentine football star Diego Maradona had passed away.
I drove the more than 45 miles from the northeastern parts of england down to london in the november darkness, large sections of the stretch were driven on the wide and even in lockdown heavily trafficked m1.
M1
You get the coincidence itself, “Maradona Number One” had that road designation one evening that the day before yesterday could just as easily stand for.
And along the whole road along the M1, down to London, pure football nostalgia in general, road sign after road sign for places that for me primarily smell like football.
Just listen, from north to south, for example Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesborough, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Luton, Watford and finally in London the sign for Wembley, the English National Stadium for football.
But on the radio there in the car and in the British media, which I read at petrol stations and rest areas, it was at least not just cozy nostalgia about Maradona that applied this evening.
Well, of course, his is also recognized here by most, in a country that in a football context in some sense still sees itself as legitimate favorites in all tournaments you line up in, as the greatest player ever.
Several of the players who participated 1986 when Maradona scored his famous 2-0 goal in historical perfection testified to the Argentine’s left-footed greatness.
But it was in the same match that the second of his most famous goals was also done, the one that was done with the help of “the hand of God”, the hand of God as Maradona said afterwards and it was of course commented on as well
And it was not possible to hide among some comments that the bitterness over the hand goal being approved then 34 years ago remains with some. The English goalkeeper at the time, Peter Shilton, for example, admittedly praised Maradona’s great skill, but also described him last night as unsportsmanlike.
Several newspapers had pictures of the target on the front page with some form of text variation on “Maradona, now in the hands of God”.
The Daily Star even dared to wonder to the same image on the front page where the modern video refereeing technology WHERE was “when we needed it most”.
And, I thought there in the dark along the M1 motorway, the “Maradona Number 1 motorway” through Football England, Maradona herself may still be the first to applaud there in her heaven if England can win the European Championship final at home this summer. Maybe it would alleviate a little of the bitterness.
But then we can still continue discuss here whether the ball was really over the line in the World Cup final in 1966 when England won against Germany or why England’s goal in the World Cup 2010 also against Germany was not approved, since the ball was really clear over the line at that time.
One thing is for sure, football, bitterness, joy and nostalgia, England and Maradona will always belong together.
Източник: ИСЛАНДИЯ НОВИНИ