Maradona in Mexico, a Short Review

"I’m not perfect. No one’s perfect. Sometimes I’m confronted by things I can’t control. But be clear: I’m a good man. I want to improve football, for the good of people," said Maradona. He sat on his chair, looking upset. He’d just been sent of from a very important game; the first leg of a final match for a promotion to the Mexico’s first division.

That’s the opening scene of documentary ‘Maradona in Mexico’, I’ve just finished watching it last nite. A captivating documentary, with good drama, tension, and more importantly, with the real Maradona.

In this documentary, we follow the journey of Diego Maradona, the legendary, with all of controversy behind his big name. How he land to an unknown club, a 2nd division club of Mexico’s football league: Dorados de Sinaloa. This particular club somehow has many resemblances to Maradona. The team is based in Culiacán, the fortress of “El Chapo” Guzmán.

And that was the strong reason why José Antonio Nuñez—the club president—brought Maradona to the house. His dream was to “make it that when you googled Culiacán, the Dorados would come above Chapo Guzmán”.

With that premise this documentary series kick off. But it's not just about football, nor about Diego Maradona only. It's about the people, about the community, about the city.

We see how the players adored Him, how it could transform the spirits of the team. Having Maradona sat on their bench, rooting for them, it's more than enough for the boys. They play beautifully, getting the ball to the opponent nets were easier than before. Before Maradona came, the team was struggling at the bottom of the 2nd division table. With Diego, the team achieved winning after winning. Their journey to the promotion final was epic.

“They said I only came here for a holiday. No, I came to get us promoted," said Maradona.

It's interesting to see how Maradona build a charming connection to the young players at the club. He knows that those boys respected him so much. But he always want to breaks that boundaries. He ask them to dance with him, to sing.

“Don’t do it for Maradona,” he said to his team. “Do it for football!” But of course the boys playing it for Diego. For the players, having Maradona on their side is really great. He still have that capability to score goals, curving the ball, despite his age and aching knee. He's a family man. When they lost a goal or two, he never blame them.

One player said that In Culiacán, people would prefer to go to the Baseball game than watching football match. "If we get promoted to the 1st division, that will change, people will go to our stadium," said the player.

One thing I notice throughout the series, we will see how Diego Maradona in a constant literal pain. The way he walks, it really visible that his arthritis is bad. And he heard the chant from the opponent fans, dissing his name, he just couldn't take it. He was angry.

Another thing that interest me about this craftily documentary series was the fact about Culiacán with the reputation of its cartel, in relation with Diego Maradona past history, with the cocain. The subtance that almost take everything from his life. Yet, this bizzare connection have a remarkable outcome. Is it Maradona who save the Culiacán's football club, giving the city hope and joy, or is it the Dorados de Sinaloa that giving him a new meaningful life?

The seven episodes of the series are digging deep on that relationship. It's a complex one.

My favorite quote of the series would be this one:

“What’s the hardest thing about being you?” asked a Journalist during an interview in one episode.

Maradona answered:

“The most difficult thing is having people around all the time. People surrounding me. Though when I was ill, when I had my problem with drugs, I felt like the loneliest man on earth.”

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Picture source: republicworld.com