“No, I like women.”

[Original Post at my Blog | My Blog]

...thus said Diego Armando Maradona, the manager of the Argentina football team, during the post-match press conference on 15-Jun-2010 after beating South Korea 4-1.

In a matter of hours, his Argentina team will play Germany in one of the most eagerly waited quarter-final showdowns of WC’10. Therefore, it seems befitting to write about the man who has brought and is still bringing cheerful colors to the footballing world.

A writing about the man who becomes the best example to illustrate how a particular technician is slowly, but looks surely, changing from a utopian to a pragmatist (i.e., a cold blooded calculating b*st*rd).

[I hope my c.b.c.b analogy won't bring me any serious implication in the future. I've heard and seen too often unexpected consequences of publications, in any form, on the ’net.]


The Utopian Technician, in the Past...
the technician had a rigid view on footballers. The view that as role models, they must be perfect in all their conducts.

No flaws are allowed, at all.

Therefore, it becomes strikingly obvious this technician had paid no admiration to Maradona (still a player at that time). He’s not fit to be a role model. He “cheated” with his hand-of-God goal. He was totally messed up with drugs. He was completely out-of-order for firing an air gun to journalists. And so on.

Mention Maradona, and the technician was left wondering how could this player be idolized by many people. He has, afterall, the most screwed up life...


The Pragmatist Technician, Now...
after years of seeing various things happening, the technician is becoming less and less utopian. Instead, the technician becomes more and more realistic in viewing circumstances. That...

footballers are just humans. And no human is perfect.
Therefore, flaws are the norm, while perfection is the most impossible exception.

That’s how the technician accepted that Maradona should be a solely judged by footballing standards — playing and managing. His flawed character does not in any way deny his greatness as a footballer. Whatever his weaknesses are, they do not take away his right to be admired as one of the greatest footballers ever grazing this world.

Besides, how can he, as a manager now, not be liked for being a refreshing droplet in the desert of “football managers”?

He dared to get back passionately (read: swear/curse) at his detractors (i.e., journalists, commentators, and a host of arm-chair critics) when his Argentina team had managed to barely qualify to the final-round of WC’10

He who cheekily yelled at a paparazzi “What an ***hole you are. How can you put your leg there where it can get run over, man?” after accidentally drove over the paparazzi's leg.

And when asked by a journalist why he always hugged and kissed his players after games, he responded candidly (scroll to the bottom): “No. No, I like women. I still prefer women. I am dating Veronica who is blond and 31-years-old. No, I have not gone limp wristed. But I like to acknowledge and congratulate my players when they play as well as they did today. ” And his facial gesture when hearing the question? Priceless (click here if you don’t see the video below).


Original Video - More videos at TinyPic


Epilog
This is the man, the football manager, who is coloring the footballing world with his imperfection and flaws and weaknesses. [See also the top-10 Maradona’s crazy moments in WC’10]

It’s extremely rare to find such a spirit among football managers nowadays. Probably only Jose Mourinho is on par. Of course, Mourinho has been in the business longer, so he might have a few more tricks under his sleeve. Nevertheless, give Maradona enough time, and I’m sure he’ll equal Mou (in terms of character, that is). Just imagine the banters that will occur, if both ply their trade in the same league...

By the way, if you’re still reading ’til this point, then allow me to wholeheartedly offer you my eternal gratitude. And not only that. I also congratulate you for reading my one rare post on football, after “retiring” from it (club & international) nearly a year ago.