He came, he saw, he conquered. Diego Armando Maradona, the supreme entertainer that he is, gave 20 minutes of unforgettable joy to over 50,000 enthusiastic fans watching under a searing sun at the Municipal Jawahar Stadium in Kannur on Wednesday.
It was a perfect case of an all-win situation for both the football magician, enjoying a massive fan-base in Kerala, and the admirers, thirsting for a footballing identity. The legendary Argentinian, who was visibly overwhelmed by the fantastic response from the fans, soaked in the atmosphere - juggling, balancing and kicking footballs, dancing and singing his way into the hearts of the die-hards who had been waiting patiently for four hours.
Having given the fans much more than they had perhaps bargained for, Maradona screamed in Spanish ‘Viva India’ (‘Long Live India’), till his voice went hoarse. Not satisfied, he thumped his chest and said, again in Spanish, “I love you all”.
The overjoyed fans in Kannur and Kerala found a place in the heart of one of the greatest footballers ever to have played the beautiful game. The moment of the day, when the whole stadium erupted in unalloyed ecstasy, came when Kerala’s own ‘Maradona’ I M Vijayan exchanged a series of volleys and headed passes with the legend, Maradona then hugged Vijayan, marking a poignant movement during the inauguration of the Boby Chemannur International Group’s new jewellery showroom and helicopter services here.