Maradona by Kusturica Page #2

---

I discovered the most wonderful

characteristics of city poor

the aristocratic spirit that had

vanished from the houses of the rich

and had moved to

the homes of the impoverished.

The wonderful morality

within the family

where rules are respected

and sacrifices made.

Since then, I have always found

it easy to recognize

that aristocratic spirit,

knowing that in the west,

poverty was an embarrassment,

but here and in Balcans

it's an expression of suffering.

When he was choosing

between River Plate,

who were offering him

more money,

and Boca Juniors,

Diego chose Boca

precisely for

these aristocratic reasons.

Boca were paying less money,

but by joining them,

he was fulfilling a dream

dating back to the time

he was walking past the

Bombonera stadium with his father

and promised that one day

Diego arrived at Boca's stadium

carrying a torch, whose weak flame

shyly lit the road of return from

the underworld of drug addiction,

back to being among his football fans.

Once a god, always a god.

That evening he reminded me

of the Mesopotamian god, Gilgamesh.

The way in which Diego was

accepted only went to prove

that for gods all is forgiven.

My dad was the only one

who worked.

He had nine mouths to feed,

my mother and eight kids.

We always had food on the table.

Not much, sometimes more,

sometimes less,

but we always had food.

This is my house.

But that's what unites a family.

I'd share my food with my sister,

or she'd give me some of hers

when she'd eaten enough.

When was the last time

you've been here?

Over 15 years ago.

We made paper balls

and we'd throw them out there.

This was the goal. We'd throw

the ball like this, and head it.

The patio was my stadium...

I have two dreams:

to play in the World Cup

and to be a champion.

I realized later,

when I was much older,

that my mother,

whenever she'd see

there wasn't enough food,

would get a stomach ache.

But it wasn't true,

it was because

she wanted us to have more.

At the table, my dad

didn't need to say: "Be quiet."

The look in his eyes,

the exhaustion from his work,

commanded respect.

I remember when my dad

came home from work

my mom would put

the old suction cups on his back.

It was a ritual, my mom

cupping and us all around.

It was like a massage.

Exactly,

because my dad carried sacks.

I think the people around here

have greater dignity

than all the people

who may live in other areas.

In my country,

politicians get rich,

but give nothing to the people.

I've often been asked

to go into politics,

and I say:
"No, I don't want to

rob the people."

I've met with politicians

and they never want to

meet with me again.

Because I say what I feel.

The gap between rich and poor

has grown much bigger in my lifetime.

Not only here in Argentina,

you can see it in Brazil,

or Venezuela or Cuba,

with the embargo.

The Americans are trampling

all over those countries,

they won't let them

get back on their feet.

If they give them a loan,

they demand ten times more in return.

When was that

sense of justice born?

It comes from seeing the world,

and then from reading

a lot of Che Guevara,

and from studying. And from Cuba.

Gabriel Garcia Marques told me:

if no Castro in the history

of Latin America,

Yankees would have been

in Patagonia already

and all of you would have

spoken English already.

I think we're part of the U.S.

So, what does he think

the whole world will be

American colony?

- Obviously.

- China?

No, not China.

I met Fidel in 1987.

The Americans gave me

an award

and the Cubans

were giving me an award.

I said to the Americans...

"Keep your award,

I'm getting one in Cuba."

Fidel and I spent

five hours talking about Che,

about Argentina, about Cuba,

and I fell in love with Fidel.

He seemed like a beast

defending his territory.

He's the only politician

- if we can call him that -

who cannot be

accused of stealing,

though the Americans have tried.

He's the only politician

who can say:

"I risked my life for my country,

my land."

He's a revolutionary.

The politicians of the world

use money to win elections.

He won by taking up arms.

Because he's got balls!

I love Cuba!

Fidel!

It might seem scandalous,

but Fidel, I'd die for you!

Listen!

The more I see

how people are in Europe,

how people are in South America,

the more I love Cuba!

I think he didn't come to

Fiorito for last 14 years

because he prefered to

have idealistic image

or the picture of the poor people.

It's better to keep them

in the mind, you know?

To keep them as an idea

that he has to fight for,

somehow, promote or be behind them.

The good part of them will

vanish inmediately thinking about

his money,

how to get money straight from him,

do you have hundred,

do you have two hundred,

and then they're not any more

as good as the idea about

good people is. You know?

How do you feel coming back here

and remembering the worst and

the most difficult part of your life.

Did you ever regret that you

left ever these beautiful fields.

This is the 'goalary'.

The 34 little balls

and the shoe represent

the 35 goals Diego scored

as a member of the Argentine team.

The Goal of the Century

One day they wanted

to introduce me to Charles of...

of England.

No.

I would never shake his hand.

Not with all that blood on it.

Never.

He wanted to meet me.

I didn't want to meet him.

After what happened

in the Falklands...

I didn't.

Stop Bush

War Criminal

He's a murderer.

I don't think he can just decide,

the way he decides for all of us,

for the whole world.

Having the most destructive bomb

doesn't mean having power.

Power doesn't mean

having a bomb

and killing five thousand people.

In my opinion,

he's a cold-blooded murderer.

If you want,

we can talk about Bush.

He blames the Colombians

for cocaine.

But in fact, it's the Americans

who use cocaine.

Right?

Yes!

What about the americanos?

They control all the drugs?

Obviously!

- Obviously.

- Obvious.

In the train that was

heading to Mar del Plata

there was something naive

but appealing about the idea that

nowadays you can influence

the world and your own destiny

without money or

atomic bomb in your pocket.

It was a world where apparently

only at football matches

could the small nations triumph

epically over the larger powers

and take sweet revenge.

It was as if that

unavoidable shudder which

trains produced in me

and the inexplicable excitement

were slowly turning into the belief

that this train wasn't only heading

for Mar del Plata but beyond,

to better times for

Latin America.

Our Bible,

the one we cherish,

the one we carry

in our hearts, everywhere.

Brother, after your conversion

to the Hand of God goal,

the Church of Maradona

welcomes you as a new disciple.

...Messiah back in Naples...

"Anyone who

doesn't jump is Ferlaino."

The Neapolitans know

that I was the one

who enabled Naples to win.

When Ferlaino paid me, of course.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes