The body of football legend Diego Maradona lies in state at Casa Rosada, the government palace, where it will remain for three days.
If there’s one place outside Argentina that will likely match – or possibly even exceed – the outpouring of mourning for Maradona, it’s in Naples.
While Maradona was revered around the world as perhaps the greatest football player ever, in Naples he was more than that.
Maradona was treated as a deity for the way he led Napoli to its only two Serie A titles – in 1987 and 1990 – and raised the spirits of the southern Italian city, which remains far removed both geographically and socio-economically from the country’s football capitals of Milan and Turin.
“‘Do you hear this voice, our heart is singing, you made us win two ‘scudetti’ (Serie A titles), you are in our hearts, from Vomero to Forcella (neighborhoods of Naples) and all over the world you became a star, and we will all sing Diego, Diego, Diego.’ Goodbye Diego, see you soon, who knows who will make us win the third Scudetto because I don’t want to wait another 30 years as I don’t know If I’ll still be here,” Italian Rosario said.
Luigi Barchetta, from Naples, said: “He fully married the city, he really understood the essence and the soul of Neapolitans, therefore he’s considered one of us.”