Maradona: From angel to demon

Maradona: From angel to demon

It is difficult to discuss Argentina without talking about Diego Maradona: The man who gave Argentina its second World Cup in 1986 , the drug addict, the man who used Osama bin Laden's mask in a party right after September 11th, Fidel Castro's friend and  the current coach of Argentina's national team.

Days ago he was, once again, on every headline after attacking the media for criticising him. "Suck it," he said, among other things ... and now FIFA is investigating his outburst. Maradona continues to be loved as a football player but many here in Buenos Aires are embarrassed of his words and of his performance as the coach of something so important for Argentina as its national team.

The leader of a social movement, Luis D'Elia, said today that Maradona's critics cannot forgive the fact that he is  "black and from the slums".  The words in Spanish would be negro and villero.  Those who live in the poor suburbs are in many cases referred to as "blacks" because they are not light skinned and fair haired, like the middle class. And the words Maradona used and the way he said them, are for many, evidence of his origins.

But that is one of the reasons why he is loved, and not simply respected like his Brazilian counterpart, Pele. A man who scored a goal against England in 1986 with a hand - and proudly called it the hand of God. And Argentinians applauded him, especially after the Falklands War against England.

Maradona always goes against the establishment. In fact, he feels closer to those fighting it.  From the left-wing Che Guevara and Fidel Castro to Osama bin Laden. D'Elia, a well known piquetero, as those who carry out road blocks in Argentina are known, said that Pele is white compared to Maradona. Pele, who has black skin,  represents the establishment, the corporations and money. Maradona is his complete opposite . It's like both of them represent the two extremes that we are seeing in Latin America these days. The left against the right, the lower classes against the upper ones.

Maradona is once again at the center of a debate. For many he represents Argentine society. Corrupt, excessive and someone who once had it all ... but lost it.

For Argentinians, football is the way they have of being part of the developed world for a short period of time. It is what gives the country pride. The fact that Argentina almost did not make it to the World Cup is a matter of national shame and even though Maradona is loved as a player, many are now saying that the team would be better off without him.