British writer Martin Amis, who lived for several years in Rio de la Plata, said that the Argentine national character was defined by the fact that Maradona’s first goal against the English, in the 1986 World Cup, was preferred over the second.
The first, for those who don’t remember or didn’t see it, is the famous hand goal, which the idol himself admitted to having been stolen, but justified by stating that it was the “hand of God”. The second, minutes later, is a cinematic move, in which Maradona receives a pass in the Argentinian area, dribbles the opposing half-team and finishes off, deceiving goalkeeper Shilton.
For Amis, between the cheating of the first goal and the genius of the second, most Argentines are more delighted with the cheating. And that would explain not only the player’s charisma, but also the fascination of Argentines with corruption and with those who have a talent for deceiving others. Maradona would be the ultimate example of “criolla vivacity”, something that in Brazil would be the equivalent of trickery.
“Maradona – Sueño Bendito”, an Amazon Prime series launched the week in which the idol would turn 61 and shortly before the first anniversary of his death, plays with this Argentine duality. The moments of genius are remembered and replayed with precious period images, thrilling to see again. But the focus and investment in the viewer’s seduction are in the details of his life of excess: drink, drugs and women. And once again, Maradona is excused. For football talent, yes. For the story of overcoming the boy born into poverty, too. But mainly because of the malice, the macho and criminal behavior of the player, who abused women and got involved with the Italian mafia, among other things.
Among the passages that show his footballing genius, those from his beginnings, at Cebollitas club, then at Boca and Barcelona, stand out. His childhood is also well recreated in Villa Fiorito, a shantytown in Buenos Aires that, despite its famous son, remains as poor as before. It is worth remembering that poverty in Argentina is 40% of the population. Among the scenes that praise his barbarities are his aggressive behavior with top hats, his lies to deceive women, his illegitimate children, his insane spending of money on parties and cars, his relationship with cocaine.
Women occupy roles of surrender and suffering for the idol to shine. Doña Tota (in fantastic performances by Mercedes Morán and Rita Cortese), Maradona’s mother, who is treated as a saint in Argentina, performs her role as giving birth, raising, protecting and excusing her son. We don’t know anything else about your life. Claudia (the woman), appears as the one who always accepted and suffered hidden from her husband’s infidelities, and the lovers as women “who knew who they were messing with and therefore have nothing to complain about”. Classical “mahirula” narrative, as they say here.
Brazil emerges, as usual, with exaggerations of the stereotype, and as noted by the local press, distorting facts. In the scene of Maradona’s encounter with Pelé, which took place in 1979, the Brazilian idol appears surrounded by topless women, and both play a cocktail by the pool. In fact, the encounter was witnessed by male advisers on both sides and by Maradona’s father, Don Diego.
There is a notable merit to the series in the quality of the script, in the set of performances of a first-rate casting and in the research of period images. The three actors who play the adult Maradona also stand out, with special emphasis on Nazareno Casero, who plays the player during his time at Barcelona. The actor imitates his mannerisms and his way of walking perfectly.
The show disappoints because of the angle when dealing with the character, hyperbolizing the character’s life of already exaggerated anecdotes, as in the invented scene in which a teenage Maradona gets rid of a group of soldiers during the dictatorship doing embaixadinhas. A series full of exaggerations that could be expendable, as was the player’s own personality.
