Maradona`s Story 2

SUMMARY

Due to the fact that he was born in Villa Fiorito, Diego Armando Maradona could have been player of Independiente. Better say, he should have been. But it wasn’t that way. And it’s fine. Because Argentinos Juniors is more related to his own history, to the idea of fighting from the very bottom, of enhancing the humble, and that was proved throughout the years.

As he would do in other teams, in Argentinos he also started trying to save the team and ended up seeking the title. And the old field of Boyacá and García turned out to be the center of attention of the whole football world: as if going on a procession to worship a God, the supporters of every club headed the field to go see play number ten. Forever. Since his debut, the 20th October, 1976, till the first days of 1981, when he left.

Like the supporters of every team, the ones of Argentinos assured that they had the best Maradona. The purest, the intact diamond, not polluted. It’s possible. In any case people talk about the best Maradona and the discussion increases each day.

In Argentinos, there are reference points set by Maradona, including a tunnel, when he wasn’t even 16. His first two goals, immediately, a couple of days after his presentation. The anger shown in his three goals after the frustration of Argentina ’78. Scorer, scorer, scorer, scorer, scorer, five times scorer. In nine championships played using that same t-shirt. Many tours with him, as the main attraction. And a second place, of course, the only time he would celebrate after coming second.

And the reference, inescapable, forever. Argentinos Juniors was, is and will always be the club were Diego Armando Maradona began.

THE SELECTION

If all the people who say they were present in Diego Armando Maradona’s debut in First Division, had really been in Boyacá and García Stadium, stadiums like Maracaná, Santiago Bernabeu and Giusseppe Meazza together wouldn’t have been large enough to welcome them all. Nevertheless, they were many the lucky ones who could be there that Wednesday 20th October, 1976 at Argentinos Juniors’ Stadium to see the local team play against what was considered as the sensation of the National Championship, Talleres de Córdoba. The event collected 1.273.100 pesos of those times. Just as a reference of how much that was, it is worth mentioning that a match between central Norte, from Salta, and Newell’s Old Boys, collected that same day 2.140.000.

Most of those who went to La Paternal were looking forward to enjoying great football of the Cordobeses. The found a 15 year old boy (10 days were left for his 16th birthday) showing Nº 16 on his back, who replaced Nº 10 Giacobetti in the second half. In the first ball he played, he made a tunnel to the first rival who came through, Juan Domingo Patricio Cabrera. And that’s what the coach, Juan Carlos Montes had asked Diego to do: "Go, Diego, play like you know". And what he did, Maradona knew how to do it.

Héctor Vega Onesime, the director of the well known sports magazine, El Gráfico, made a report of the match. He wrote in the summary of what he believed had been an intense match: " Hadn’t it been for the conditions and dimensions of the field, the show could have been better. Both teams were more willing to create than to destroy. Even when Talleres, during the second half squeezed against the posts to keep the result 1-0, Argentinos was condemned by its weak attack capacity. Not even the fact that the surprising, skillful and smart ex-"cebollita" Maradona played (who was not yet 16) was enough to solve the problem. The Cordobeses had no other choice than to win. And they won. We hope that, in a future, their football will emerge. Field: very bad. Judge: Maino (good)". The conclusion was Maradona’s qualification, who only played for 45 minutes: 7 points.

He had played really well. He left fear behind immediately, after he touched the ball for the first time, including a tunnel. But the feelings of that debut, were never erased from his soul. He would confess sometime: "It was the first time I felt I was touching the sky with my hands."

The coach had told him he was going to be reserve during the last weekly training, at Comunicaciones Club, Tuesday 19th. He went mad of happiness and run to let don Diego, doña Tota, her sisters, brothers, and friends, know the big news. All Villa Fiorito knew. In those days, Argentinos had already rented his first house, on 2746 street in Villa del Parque, but they were still moving. So the people who he loved and who truly loved him were there, in Fiorito. It was a strange festival of happiness and crying. It was the best prize for such an effort. No talking of money, yet. He could barely get hold of his only special pair of trousers, deep blue corduroy trousers, useful for winter or summer and get ready to play. And he never stopped playing. The story was only beginning.

ARGENTINOS / NATIONAL TEAM

After his debut in First Division, Diego Armando Maradona never left the main team. What’s more, it was usual to see him playing, not as reserve, wearing the t-shirt with Nº 10 on his back. But he didn’t only train in Argentinos, he also had a place in the Junior National Team. It was during one of those trainings, in the beginning of 1977, that César Luis Menotti talked to him, after a training match between the Junior an Senior Teams.

Diego confessed, much later, that his legs trembled. That listening to "El Flaco" as they called Menotti, was like listening to God. The truth is that what the coach told him sounded like a miracle to him. He was calling him to train with the Senior Team in order to play a friendly match against Hungary. So many things were happening to him in less that four months. Perhaps, they were too many. The truth is that when he wore the light blue and white t-shirt with which he always dreamt to play, he had only played twelve matches in First Division!

Argentinos was his launching stage to establish himself internationally. From the very bottom, Diego became strong. Really strong. In the first tournament after his debut (the Metropolitan Championship in 1977), he played 37 matches in a row, being a regular player. And he strengthened.

Some names of that team sets our memory free. Munutti was the goalkeeper. The defenders, Minutti, Carrizo, Agresta del Cerro, Gette, Núñez, Fusani. Cicogna, Roma, Milani, Romano, Rojas. The mid-field players, Jorge López, Fren, Fusani, Giacobetti, Giordano, Méndez, Di Donato, González. The forwards Carlos Alvarez, Hallar, Ovelar, Ruiz, Bravi, and of course, Maradona.

He made Carlos "Bartolo" Alvarez become a scorer with 20 goals, and he also celebrated 13 times. Against Platense, against Lanús, against Atlanta (2), against All Boys (2), against Huracán (2), against Quilmes, against Chacarita, against Estudiantes and against… Boca (2). It wasn’t bad to start with. Not at all.