BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – How many sleepless nights did the young man who would become one of soccer’s greatest players spend gazing up at the ceiling, imagining dizzying dribbles, spectacular goals and hoisting the World Cup above his head?
That is the question visitors often ask when they see the small wooden bed in the former house of Diego Maradona, which was recently turned into a museum in Argentina’s capital.
Maradona, now 55, lived with his family in the two-story house in Buenos Aires’ La Paternal neighbourhood in the late 1970s, when he was playing with the Argentinos Junior soccer club. Officials say the museum sheds light on a little-known era of his life, before he became an internationally known superstar who led Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup tournament.
The home was given to Maradona’s family in 1978 by Argentinos, part of his payment for signing his first contract. At that time, such payments were rare for teenage soccer players, even those with exceptional talent.
Crossing the doorstep, visitors travel back in time, seeing dozens of photographs, documents and objects evocative of Maradona’s teenage years. A photograph of him with curly hair and an innocent smile sitting on a stair in front of the house vouches for the authenticity of the building, as does a deed in the name of Maradona’s father, Don Diego.
His first contract is another treasure displayed in the museum, which is owned by Alberto Perez, a former Argentinos Junior manager who is a collector of Maradona paraphernalia.