Maradona, a. k. a ‘ god,’ a hit on television

Former soccer star returns from brink of oblivion

BUENOS AIRES •

One minute and 40 seconds until “god” appears. People in the studio audience crane their necks to catch a glimpse of this country’s most famous athlete. The smoke and excitement build.

Thirty seconds.

“ Let’s go, Diego!” a man cries.

Then he appears — Diego Maradona, trim and sharply dressed in jeans and a snakeskin jacket.

On a recent Monday night, the former soccer superstar strode onto the set of his new TV show and threw kisses to the audience. Dancing girls wearing barely anything swirled around him. “Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Diego! Diego!” The crowd chanted frantically.

“ Thank you so much for being here with me, really,” he said.

Number 10, the triumphant and tragic Argentine soccer standout, is back from the brink of oblivion.

Just 17 months ago, crowds held a vigil outside the hospital where Maradona was recovering from a heart attack. He became dangerously obese as he struggled with depression and a longtime drug addiction.

Today, Maradona seems to have made a dramatic turnaround. After seeking gastric bypass surgery in Colombia and drug treatment in Cuba, he reportedly lost more than 100 pounds in five months.

He rejoined his old soccer team the Boca Juniors as a coach, and now has his own top-rated weekly TV variety show, La Noche del 10. At least in public, the temperamental and troubled Maradona seems to have been replaced by a humbled, healthier version.

“I am recovering but I’m not cured yet,” he said at a press conference earlier this year.

Maradona’s life is a rags-toriches story. He was raised in a slum and became a “god” — one of the many nicknames he gained in a country where soccer is a national obsession. His immense talent on the field won him fans worldwide, and helped him lead his country to a World Cup in 1986. But a cocaine addiction tarnished his 17- year career.

Many observers have said Maradona — with his promise, his victories and his troubles — is a symbol of Argentine society.

“We’re so beaten up,” said Juana Lugano, a businesswoman from Buenos Aires. “We had suffered through corrupt governments, we had a military dictatorship where more than 30,000 were killed. Argentina needed a hero,” she said.

His show has topped other primetime competitors in the ratings. Although the program has featured several prominent and popular Argentine celebrities, it is mainly a Maradona lovefest — featuring songs about Maradona, TV replays of his greatest goals and messages from fans. Each of the white leather chairs where guests sit is embossed with a giant Maradona face. Many Argentines affectionately call the show the “ night of god.”

During a recent show, the crowd chanted his name and a group of current soccer players sang, “ Diego forever,” he applauded back and shook his head.

“How amazing!” he said. “How do you follow this?”