Babul Supriyo reminisces about Maradona, ‘He never Kicked the ball – He Caressed it’

What about Handling the Ball while scoring the infamous ‘Hands of God’ Goal? What about it ??

The Prodigal Son of God, who was God to we mere mortals, ruled the world with his left leg and probably got just one help from God – that Goal against England where the Referee erred !! You wish to call that Poetic ‘Justice’ against a Falkland War that many Argentinians believed was ‘Injustice’ committed against them by the English just a little while before the 1986 WC? Don’t wish to say more on that topic but I think in that very game itself, with the 2nd Goal a little while later, Maradona proved why he is widely regarded as the GOAT – Greatest of all time and I say this keeping both Pele and Messi in mind and I’ll tell you why. Pele had Vavá, Didi, Garincha in his National Team and yes, he did win 3 world cups (Taking nothing away from that) but he never played in Europe..

Messi had Xavi, Iniesta in his Club team who did wonders and win everything under the sun but then did nothing significant for his National team when he did have a few good players around him – it wasn’t a team that Maradona inherited in 1986 – his great compatriots like Mario Kempes and others who actually were World Champions in 1978 has be then retired… Maradona got a Caniggia or at the most a Burruchaga or Valdano in his National Team and what he did with his Club Team Napoli, a pretty low low profile club in Italy, is folklore and HIStory. He single-handedly made them Champions of Europe too. He held the teams with his undying passion and love for his country or club that he played for & of course his Godliness with the Football.

He erred as a Human but he immortalized his art and that’s what makes him Maradona. There will never be another one. Football will go on – so will the show & life but both Football and Life wouldn’t have been the same without Maradona – without Maradona being part of our lives when we saw him live making the ball at his feet Alive and Talking.

He never Kicked the ball – He Caressed it !!  Stay Happy wherever you are – now you have God who will take care of you. Babul had met him in Kolkata.