Comments by "Serenity" (@SerenityM54L2SAM5L5N1) on "Football legend Diego Maradona dies at 60 after suffering a cardiac arrest" video.

  1. For those curious about his political views, let's just say that he was a quite stern Castro, Guevara, Chavez and Maduro supporter, under the umbrella of communist ideology: "Maradona showed sympathy to left-wing ideologies. He became friends with Cuban leader Fidel Castro while receiving treatment on the island, with Castro stating, "Diego is a great friend and very noble, too. There's also no question he’s a wonderful athlete and has maintained a friendship with Cuba to no material gain of his own."[73] Maradona had a portrait of Castro tattooed on his left leg and one of Fidel's second in command, fellow Argentine Che Guevara on his right arm.[251] In his autobiography, El Diego, he dedicated the book to various people, including Castro. He wrote, "To Fidel Castro and, through him, all the Cuban people." "Maradona was also a supporter of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. In 2005, he came to Venezuela to meet Chávez, who received him in the Miraflores Palace. After this meeting, Maradona claimed that he had come with the aim of meeting a "great man" ("un grande" in Spanish), but he had met instead a gigantic man ("un gigante" in Spanish, meaning he was more than great). "I believe in Chávez, I am Chavista. Everything Fidel does, everything Chávez does, for me is the best."[253] Maradona was the guest of honour of Chávez at the opening game of the 2007 Copa América held in Venezuela." "Maradona declared his opposition to what he identified as imperialism, particularly during the 2005 Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. There he protested George W. Bush's presence in Argentina, wearing a T-shirt labelled "STOP BUSH" (with the "s" in "Bush" being replaced with a swastika) and referring to Bush as "human garbage".[255][256] In August 2007, Maradona went further, making an appearance on Chávez's weekly television show Alo Presidente and saying, "I hate everything that comes from the United States. I hate it with all my strength." In December 2008, however, Maradona had adopted a more pro-US attitude when he expressed admiration for Bush's successor, President-elect Barack Obama, and held great expectations for him." "With his poor shanty town upbringing, Maradona cultivated a man-of-the-people persona. During a meeting with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1987, they clashed on the issue of wealth disparity, with Maradona stating, "I argued with him because I was in the Vatican and I saw all these golden ceilings and afterwards I heard the Pope say the Church was worried about the welfare of poor kids. Sell your ceiling then amigo, do something!" In September 2014, Maradona met with Pope Francis in Rome, crediting Francis for inspiring him to return to religion after many years; he stated, "We should all imitate Pope Francis. If each one of us gives something to someone else, no one in the world would be starving." "In December 2007, Maradona presented a signed shirt with a message of support to the people of Iran: it is displayed in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' museum.[260] In April 2013, Maradona visited the tomb of Hugo Chávez and urged Venezuelans to elect the late leader's designated successor, Nicolás Maduro, to continue the socialist leader's legacy; "Continue the struggle," Maradona said on television. Maradona attended Maduro's final campaign rally in Caracas, signing footballs and kicking them to the crowd, and presented Maduro with an Argentina jersey. Having visited Chávez's tomb with Maradona, Maduro said, "Speaking with Diego was very emotional because comandante Chávez also loved him very much." Maradona participated and danced at the electoral campaign rally during the 2018 presidential elections in Venezuela. During the 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, the Mexican Football Federation fined him for violating their code of ethics and dedicating a team victory to Nicolás Maduro."
    2