Argentina: “Eternal Diego”, the exhibition before the trial, and the memorial

“Best of all. His glory, his commitment, his falls, and his resurrections (…) All the Maradonian feeling on edge.

Thus invites the exhibition, to explore the life of the idol who died in November 2020 at the age of 60 and still unbeatable in the hearts of Argentines.

At the entrance, a hologram Diego reproducing his voice welcomes the visitor.

Over 800 m2, the exhibition presents, among other trophies, jerseys, balls, photos, an “augmented reality” section retracing his solo “goal of the century” against England at the 1986 World Cup — seen through the eyes of Maradona –, or a life-size recreation of the Argentinian locker room in the final, or even a party at his birthplace in the poor neighborhood of Villa Fiorito.

“Being in the exhibition is being with Diego,” Daniel Arcucci, Maradona’s biographer, told AFP as he left the exhibition. “If we talk about a character who has reached eternity, it is Maradona. He continues to live, to tell us things.”

The “Eternal Diego” exhibition lasts until January 31, before Maradona returns to the news for darker reasons.

The trial on the circumstances of his death, for possible negligence, is due to begin on March 11. Seven practitioners – a neurosurgeon and attending physician, a clinical doctor, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a head nurse, nurses – will be judged.

Maradona died in November 2020 of cardio-respiratory arrest, on a medical bed in Tigre (north of Buenos Aires), where he was convalescing after neurosurgery for a head hematoma.

The year 2025 should also see the opening of the “M10 Memorial”, a tribute site which will be located in the tourist heart of Buenos Aires and plans to welcome one million visitors per year.

The Maradona children launched the Maradona Foundation — which organizes the exhibition — in October and presented the future memorial aimed at placing their father “close to the love of people and granting the wish of all those who want to bring him a flower “.

In October, the courts authorized at the request of the children the transfer of the body, which rests in a private cemetery 35 kilometers from Buenos Aires, to this future memorial, in order to facilitate tributes from Argentinians and tourists.