This Saturday, October 30, the best footballer in the world, Diego Armando Maradona, would have turned 61. Almost a year after his death, tributes and homages will be paid to the late player, a figure as revered as he sparked controversies worldwide.

He was born in Villa Fiorito, a poor suburb of the province of Buenos Aires, on October 30, 1960, in a small house, where he grew up and developed his love for the ball. This week, the Argentine government declared this childhood home a "national historic site" because of the "enormous influence" that the 1986 World Cup winner had on Argentine popular culture.

In the open lots of Fiorito, Maradona began to stand out in football amid poverty, something that would mark his life, his statements and political stances, during the rest of his life.

Diego Maradona achieved his dream of winning the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The country went crazy over his bravery and leadership. His performance at the tournament was epic. Despite being heavily injured in the ankles, in spite of being the target of his rivals' fouls, he achieved the greatest victories of the Argentine team. The country was thrilled with this World Cup glory, just three years after the return of democracy to Argentina.

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, two weeks after leaving the Olivos clinic, where he had undergone surgery for a hematoma in the head. His death shocked the world. In Argentina, three days of mourning were declared and a crowd, still amid the pandemic, took to the streets of Buenos Aires to pay their last respects at his funeral, held at the Government House.

Diego will live forever in the heart of any football fan, beyond his controversies and what people may think of his personal life. His magic as a footballer, his classic provocative, cocky, feisty opinions and statements are already part of the Argentine culture, and even those who did not see him play, know that one day, a cosmic kite took Napoli of Italy to glory and gave joy an Argentina still hurting from the wounds of the 1976-1983 dictatorship.