A year after his passing, Napoli have unveiled the first statue of Diego Armando Maradona. The sculpture has been temporarily exposed for the day near one of the stadium’s entrances Thursday. It will be moved to his permanent collocation later on.
The author Domenico Sepe told La Stampa: “I decided to honor Maradona through an artwork to give him the immortality he deserves.” A multitude of fans also visited the wall painting of El Pibe de Oro in the Quartieri Spagnoli today. Owner Aurelio De Laurentiis brought flowers to it.
Diego Armando Maradona Jr, the current Napoli president, and former one Corrado Ferlaino attended the ceremony. Also Partenopei legends Bruno Giordano, Bruno Bruscolotti and Alessandro Renica were present, Leggo relays. The City called it: “A gift to Napoli and to the champion they loved the most.”
The statue actually had to be modified during its creation. In some initial photos, the ball was near his right foot, while Maradona was famously left-footed. The flaw caused great consternation only. Now it is simply in the near vicinity of the player, Corriere del Mezzogiorno indicates. Its basis resembles the map of Argentina, and the posture recalls the historic goal against England.
A second sculpture, made by Stefano Ceci, will be installed in the hallway to the locker room. It will make his debut in the upcoming match against Lazio. It has been in the works since 2017. The hand and left foot are exact representations as their molds were produced when Maradona was still alive.