A factory of happiness. A rebel. A God. An astroid. A saint. He was an Argentinian with a Neapolitan soul, who craved pizza and spaghetti al pomodoro long after he left Italy in 1991.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday in New York City, Italian restaurateurs and pizzaioli said goodbye to Diego Armando Maradona, the world-famous Argentinian soccer player, who died on Wednesday outside of Buenos Aires. They posted remembrances of the man who stood up for Naples, Italy, earning it respect through his colossal soccer game.
On Houston Street, Song’ E Napule erected a Maradona shrine. Pizzaiolo Ciro Iovine made an elaborate altar draped with Maradona’s number 10 jersey and placed candles, figurines, and framed photos in front of the pizza oven.
“For me he was an idol for us Neapolitans, Maradona was a part of us,” he wrote on Instagram "Today a champion is leaving, my god is leaving, my idol of all time.”
Ciro Iovine creates a shrine to Diego Armando Maradona at Song' E Napule, his Neapolitan pizzeria in New York City
In the late 1980s, Maradona led Napoli to win two Italian league titles and the UEFA Cup. In his autobiography, Maradona said that winning Naples’ first scudetti in 60 years was “an incomparable victory. Different from any other, even the ‘86 World Cup.”
When Maradona arrived in Naples, Italy, at 25 years old, he was broke and ready to start over. On his presentation day, eighty-thousand fans showed up to the Stadio San Paolo, (which may soon be named after him instead of Jesus' apostle), singing songs and playing tango. Maradona felt the city in full force and knew how close their bond would be.
“I want to become the idol of the poor children of Naples, because they are like I was when I lived in Buenos Aires,” he told a journalist after the event.
As the soccer team grew in strength, Maradona felt the city change with each triumph. He noticed Neapolitans abandon fear when they realized, “it’s not the one with the most money who wins, but the one who fights the most, who wants it the most.”
The lessons of Maradona’s spirit linger with Neapolitans all over the world, but especially in New York City, where the Napoli Team have a second home at Ribalta Pizza near Union Square.
In a heartfelt note on Facebook, owner Rosario Procino wrote about waiting for hours as a young boy to catch a glimpse of Maradona leaving his home on Scipione Capone and the joy of Sunday games and victories.
Yesterday, the Ribalta team dressed in blue and white and visited a Maradona mural near the Manhattan Bridge to pay their respects for the soccer saint.
“As Neapolitans, it breaks our heart to know that You are no longer in this world with us,” they wrote on Instagram. “Through football You have positively influenced the mentality of an entire city in all aspects of life and we can't deny that our own professional and personal growth is strictly connected to your story. We will always remember You as Diego Armando Maradona, the God of Football and the God of Naples.”