RIP Diego Maradona: The staunch Leftist who was Castro's darling and hated USA 'with all strength'

Did you know Diego Maradona tried to form a union of professional footballers for years? The idea goes hand in hand with his decision to get faces of Leftwing leaders Che Guevara and Castro tattooed on his body. A staunch critic of US capitalism and the Catholic Church, the Argentine football legend is a poster boy of South American socialism. Here is a glimpse at the political lineage of the late icon.

Did you know Diego Maradona tried to form a union of professional footballers for years? The idea goes hand in hand with his decision to get faces of Leftwing leaders Che Guevara and Castro tattooed on his body. A staunch critic of the US, the Argentine f 

Maradona had a tattoo of Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara on his right shoulder. An integral part of the Cuban revolution and close aide of Fidel Castro, Che was killed by US-backed Bolivian forces in 1967 during his attempt to ignite rebellion in the country. The football great reportedly likened himself to Guevara and declared the revolutionary his hero. (Photo | AP)

“Where do you get your sense of justice?” Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica asked Maradona in a documentary about his life. The Argentine's answer was as follows: “I just had to raise my voice after seeing the world, from visiting Cuba, reading Che Guevara.” (Photo | AP)

Che's comrade Fidel too, was Maradona's ally. Though they have met earlier, the two started sharing a bond in the early 2000s when the latter reached out to Cuba seeking help for his addiction issues. (Photo | AFP)

'He opened Cuba's doors to me when clinics in Argentina were slamming them shut because they didn't want the death of Maradona on their hands,' Maradona was quoted as saying. (Photo | AFP)

When Fidel Castro passed away in 2016, Maradona was devastated. 'I wept uncontrollably. After my father, it's the deepest sorrow I know,' he was quoted as saying. The Argentine had tattooed the Cuban leader on his left leg. (Photo | AFP)

Maradona's allegiance to the Latin American Leftwing isn't limited to Cuba. He was greatly inspired by Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution spearheaded by Hugo Chavez. Maradona was an ardent supporter of Chavez's radical plans to redistribute income and education to the underprivileged. (Photo | AFP)

'We are Chavistas until death, Long live the revolution,” El Diego was once quoted as saying. (Photo | AP)

Maradona's support to the socialist regime was intact even after Chavez's demise. When his successor Nicolas Maduro was battling anti-government protests across Venezuela, he stood behind the United Socialist Party unmoved. (Photo | AP)

'When Maduro orders, I am dressed as a soldier for a free Venezuela, to fight against the imperialism and those who want to take our flags, which is the most sacred thing we have,” Maradona wrote in 2017. (Photo | AP)

Maradona's love for the Leftist regimes also meant dislike for the 'capitalist USA.' According to Reuters, on a talk show hosted by Chavez, Diego once declared that he 'hate everything that comes from the United States. I hate it with all my strength.' (Photo | AP)

During his Vatican visit in 2000, Maradona asked Pope John Paul II why the Vatican is holding on to its gold ceilings instead of selling them if they wish to help the poor. (Photo | AFP)

Maradona was also critical of Israeli occupational force in Gaza. Amidst rumours of signing a deal with the Palestinian football body to coach the national team, the World Cup winner in 2018 said that he is a Palestinian in his heart. (Photo | AP)

Bolivian President Evo Morales, who is also a Leftist, remembered Maradona as 'a person who felt and fought for the humble, the best football player in the world.' 'H he loved Bolivia very much. He was a great friend of just causes. Not only the world's football mourns him, but also the people of the world,' TeleSUR quoted him as saying. (Photo | AP)