MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Naples to build large-scale 3-D statue of Maradona's left foot

The sculpture will be six meters long by four meters high

The Italian city of Naples took the worship of the late Argentine football legend Diego Armando Maradona to an unprecedented level Monday when it decided to launch plans for a statue of the late player's left foot in the local district of Scampia.

After 500 samples of a collectors' item real-life-size model were received, the authorities said they would capitalize on the 3d prints taken in 2018 from the foot at Maradona's own request, to build a sculpture, which will be six meters long by four meters high.

“I thought Scampia was the ideal place for this project, born from a proposal by Stefano Ceci and which I discussed with [Napoli owner] Aurelio De Laurentis,” said Naples Mayor Gaetano Manfredi.

“I think Maradona represents the symbol of the recovery of a man who with his talent managed to reach the top of the soccer world,” Manfredi added about the Argentine star who passed away in November 2020.

“In this way, the statue of Maradona will be the collective heritage of the tifosi not only inside the stadium but in the city and bringing it to Scampia is a sign of redemption of one of the districts that in the collective imagination has the greatest difficulties,” explained the mayor of Naples.

Manfredi announced the choice of Scampia during the ceremony in which Ceci presented him with a miniature of the statue of Maradona located inside the Naples stadium renamed after his death.

“In this palace on July 5, 2017, Maradona was given honorary citizenship and then I considered paying homage to the first citizen with the same statue already donated to Napoli and thus fulfilled the promise I made to Diego,” Ceci recounted.

De Laurentiis also received a limited edition reproduction of Maradona's left foot during the ceremony held in the Giunta di Palazzo San Giacomo hall.

“Diego doesn't need to be commented on, he needs to find a definitive and correct placement on this territory and we will do it with this project,” Ceci stressed.