I have just now found the strength to turn on my PC. Been devastated since his passing.
I don't think the world will ever understand what Diego means to us. It's hard to put it in words. They just fall short.
Not just on a football level. His charisma. He was charming. He was a magnet. He lived a thousand lives. He wore a thousand faces.
He ALWAYS put Argentina before anything else. He waved our flag everywhere he went. He made sure people respected his country when he was around. Never forgot where he came from, never forgot his roots.
Seeing all the homages and tributes around the world has been so touching.
From Argentina to nearly every little corner in the world.
Even Siria -God knows they have their own share of problems and even so, someone took the time to remember him.
I'm sure we'll never see another human play football like him and touch so many lives.
Nobody ever taught that little poor kid from the poorest neighborhood with no food to eat, how to be Maradona. How to be, arguably, one of the most powerful men in the world (certainly so between 86 and 94). "I was living in absolute poverty and then next day, they kicked my ass and sent me to the top of the world" (or something like that. Hard to translate his exact words).
There are no excuses. Not trying to justify him. But it's easier to understand how he became what he became. From being "Diego" (a simple, very humble guy) to being "Maradona" (this larger than life persona), which was sort of his defense mechanism.
And anyone who's ever met him in person, specially those who have shared meetings with him or even become friends, will tell you he was one of the most generous people they ever met. Always pushing them to be the best. Giving everything he could to fill in the gaps of whatever the other person was lacking.
An icon. A legend. A myth.
A huge part of football died, at least for me.
