MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Maradona ambassador for the recovery of open spaces and turn them into football fields for Argentine kids

The famous player at Government House with president Alberto Fernández to express his support and accept the nomination of “ambassador”

Diego Maradona, Argentina's beloved “10” has been named ambassador for the recovery of urban playgrounds, where Argentine kids in the old fashion can play soccer, and hopefully as happened with Diego and so many other Argentine players become international stars.

The symbolic appointment occurred during a meeting of Maradona with president Alberto Fernandez at Government House, which following a long chat culminated with the famous “10” stepping out to the iconic Casa Rosada balcony with a replica of the FIFA 1986 World Cup, won precisely by Argentina, and where he celebrated with all the team some 29 years ago.

This was the third time Maradona stepped to the historic balcony, the first time in 1979 when Argentina was crowned juvenile world champion, in 1986 with then president Ricardo Alfonsín, and now when his appointment as special ambassador to recover the open spaces and turn them into playgrounds for Argentine youths.

Maradona a well known supporter of ex president Cristina Fernandez was immediately cheered by a crowd which spontaneously assembled. With a coarse voice he yelled he wished ex president Macri would go to live in Thailand, adding that his “Let's change” political group hopefully will never return to office in Argentina.

The meeting with president Fernandez took place at 12:30 sharp, with Maradona in the company of two of his solicitors, Matias Morla and Victor Stinfale. Once in the presidential office he displayed on the desk a dozen of football shirts, several from Argentinos Juniors, where Maradona started playing, and the club of which Fernandez is a fan; from the Argentine national team and from Gimnasia which is currently coached by number “10”. Among the lucky ones to receive the famous gifts, besides the president, was cabinet chief Santiago Cafiero and Martin Guzmán the Economy minister.

Last week Maradona confirmed in Instagram that he had talked with president Fernandez to whom he expressed his full support, and that of “all the Argentine people”.

He added that both the head of state as well as vice-president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner were well aware that the “struggle now was not for dollars but for bread”. And that is why Maradona accepted to become the ambassador for the recovery of those open spaces, in different places of Argentina, to turn them into playgrounds where the kids can play football and at the same time be fed in the framework of the Plan against Hunger, launched by the current government.

Hopefully also a repeat to what happened several decades ago in Villa Fiorito, a shanty town in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, where a short child with a marvelous left kick became one of the greatest players of all times of the wonderful game.