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Prominent Iranians Remember Diego Maradona

November 27, 2020
Payam Younesipour
6 min read
Prominent Iranians from across society mourned Diego Maradona online
Prominent Iranians from across society mourned Diego Maradona online
Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shared one of the strangest memorials – in which he called himself a "former footballer"
Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shared one of the strangest memorials – in which he called himself a "former footballer"
Navid Mohammadzadeh described Maradona as the "myth of his life" who, he said, through the powers of world football, was led to destruction.
Navid Mohammadzadeh described Maradona as the "myth of his life" who, he said, through the powers of world football, was led to destruction.
Ali Karimi, meanwhile, was different. Karimi was known in Iranian and Asian football as the "Wizard" and the "Asian Maradona". He also wrote on his Instagram page: "No one will come to beat you."
Ali Karimi, meanwhile, was different. Karimi was known in Iranian and Asian football as the "Wizard" and the "Asian Maradona". He also wrote on his Instagram page: "No one will come to beat you."

The news of Diego Maradona's death was mourned around the world. It was not only painful for Iranian sports figures. On the night that the Argentine football legend died, many Iranians mourned, including many artists. Perhaps it seemed unimaginable that Maradona had been able to penetrate so deeply into the hearts of generations of Iranians.

Celebrities posted thousands of condolence messages online, and some of them met with considerable attention.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, was one well-known figure to express his grief.  Introducing himself as a former footballer himself, he posted his condolences in English: "The death of Diego Maradona, a great football player, and a philanthropist who stood up to imperialism, has left me very upset. I offer my condolences to his family and to all those who loved him.”

In 2008, Diego Maradona sent a signed football jersey to Ahmadinejad. The Argentine football legend thought that Iran’s president shared his own anti-American sentiments. He was scheduled to visit Iran a year later to meet with Ahmadinejad – but the trip was canceled after widespread protests over the results of the elections.

***

Iranian pop singer Alireza Assar, who had canceled past concerts because of the 2009 presidential election protests and who in January 2020 also protested the downing of Ukrainian Airlines Fight 752, posted on his Instagram page a picture of Maradona’s astonished and vanquished goalies and defenders and wrote: "All through my youth and adolescent years, football was summed up in you. And still you are one against all."

Navid Mohammadzadeh, a celebrated Iranian cinema, television, and theater actor, also mourned his football hero. Mohammadzadeh described Maradona as the "myth of his life" who, he said, through the powers of world football, was led to destruction.

He added: "Diego! You were great. The greatest. The system and the dwarves could not bear to see your greatness. Your gradual demise started when you scored two goals of the century against England. One with a dribble, one with the Hand of God; some people wanted vengeance for those goals. You should not have eliminated England. You should not talk about Che Guevara and Fidel, or tattoo your love for them on your body. Politicians could not bear to see them. You should not have made Napoli champions of Calcio and Europe; that mediocre team. The giants of Europe could not bear to see it. You should not have paid attention to FIFA; the president would be angry. You should not have been a god in S‌ao Paulo. You should not have eliminated Italia at the 1990 World Cup in Italy at the San Paolo Stadium, where you had become a god. You should not ... you should not ... you should not ... Do you know why I love you? Because of all the things you should not have done. They killed you bit by bit. Because you were beyond them all. My role model, my myth, Diego, sleep well. I love you."

Bahram Radan, another prominent Iranian actor who is also a United Nations Ambassador for the World Food Programme, posted on Instagram a picture of Maradona's historic goal against England: "God's hand."

Radan had previously supported the legalizing gay marriage on his Twitter page, saying it was like abolishing slavery, until pressure by security forces and the conservative Kayhan newspaper forced him to delete the tweet and to apologize. Radan has since refrained from speaking about anything other than cinema.

Tahmineh Milani, a celebrated filmmaker, artist and activist in Iran, who has won more than 14 awards at home and abroad, described Maradona as one of the few heroes of her life.

”Maradona died and is mourned by many fans," Milani wrote on Instagram. "I was a fan too. Maradona, Michael Jackson and Madonna are a year and a half away from my age, and I loved and still love all three, but strangely enough, of all these three phenomena of sport and pop music, only Madonna, despite her complex and painful youth, is alive ‌and has coped with fame. Maradona and Michael Jackson destroyed themselves. Remember the memories of two self-destructive myths who created beautiful moments for billions of people."

Parviz Parastouei, one of Iran’s most honored actors of the last four decades, who in recent years has worked to help vulnerable groups in society, posted a picture of Diego Maradona on his Instagram page with a memoir attributed to the Argentine hero in the "mental hospital".

Mehran Ahmadi, a director, actor and screenwriter, wrote on Instagram: "Farewell to childhood memories in narrow back alleys with double-layered plastic balls and small gates."

Mr. Ahmadi was referring to the days when Iranian children played football with plastic balls in the dirt and asphalt alleys, watching Maradona's performances.

Mandana Souri, an Iranian actress suffering from multiple sclerosis, recounted the same memory on her Instagram story: "Remembering the days when boys screamed in a moment, 'Now it is Diego Maradona,” she wrote that hearing the news of the death of loved ones and great people aggravated her illness.

Amir Jafari, an actor, also wrote: "Another man from the generation of immortals and the myths of our adolescence and youth. ... You will remain in the heart of the eternal football galaxy."

Reza Attaran, an actor and director of Iranian cinema and television, who has been banned from state media in recent years, wrote on Instagram, with a special picture of Maradona: "He did not pay attention to this world at all."

Ebrahim Hamedi, a singer with nearly eight million followers, called Maradona a "myth" and said goodbye to him on his Instagram page.

Saeed Jafarzadeh, an Iranian singer known in Iran as Parvaz Homay, called Maradona's death premature and unbelievable.

Popular Iranian pop singer Mohsen Chavoshi, with more than 2.5 million followers, simply posted a picture of the painting "Hand of God" on his Instagram page.

And there were many reactions online in the Iranian football and sports community. There was almost no sports figure in Iran who did not react to the news of the death of Diego Maradona.

Ali Karimi, meanwhile, was different. Karimi was known in Iranian and Asian football as the "Wizard" and the "Asian Maradona". He also wrote on his Instagram page: "No one will come to beat you."

And the footballer Ali Daei, the best scorer in the history of Iranian national football, shared the video of Maradona's historic goal against England, calling him "the miracle of the football pitch".

Ahmad Reza Abedzadeh, the historical goalkeeper of Iranian football, offered his condolences on the death of Maradona. "Bitter," said Mehdi Mahdavikia, who has been selected as one of Hamburg's selected players for the last 100 years. "We fell in love with football through Maradona, and how painful it is for football fans not to have him."

Javad Nekounam, a former player of Osasuna Spain and Esteghlal Tehran and the record holder of the Iranian national team, also said goodbye to Diego Maradona with this sentence: "The God of football went to God."

"I am so shocked that I cannot speak," said Mohammad Reza Khalatbari, the only Iranian player to work with Diego Mardona, in response to the news of the death of his former coach at Al-Wasl Club in the UAE. "Maybe when I believe this, I will talk about it."

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