Sir — It was heartbreaking to learn that the Argentinian football player, Diego Maradona, succumbed to heart failure at the age of 60 last week (“Maradona dead”, Nov 26). Maradona became a household name after he led the Argentinian football team to victory in the Fifa 1986 World Cup. In a team sport like football, it is quite difficult for a player to distinguish himself, but Maradona, with his exceptional skills, was a star player from the very beginning. The death of the controversial legend is a huge loss for football. He will be missed.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,
Chennai

Sir — Speaking to an Argentinian television channel in 2014, the “God of Football”, Diego Maradona, had remarked, “Do you know the player I could have been if I hadn’t taken drugs?” This, alas, is a question that has been pondered by all football fans. Maradona, who recently passed away from a cardiac arrest, was plagued by addiction and other health problems all his life. To all those who have followed his career and his life, his early demise, although saddening, does not come as a surprise.

Maradona, while being an exceptional player, battled drug addiction and alcohol dependency most of his life. But, in spite of all his infamy, he will be remembered most for his controversial goal in the 1986 Fifa World Cup quarter-finals against England where he allegedly scored the first goal of the game ‘a little with the head and a little with the hand of God’.

Things turned for the worse in the 1990s, and he was banned twice by Fifa for testing positive for cocaine and banned stimulants. His behaviour grew increasingly errant at this time. Maradona fired an air rifle at photographers and reporters outside his home in Buenos Aires in 1994. Later, he received a suspended jail sentence of two years and 10 months for the incident.

Millions of football lovers like myself believe that Maradona was undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes of all time. It is, however, unseemly to compare the talents of Maradona and the Brazilian football great, Pelé, who was 20 years his senior. In fact, when Pelé mourned the loss of Maradona, saying, “I lost a great friend and the world lost a legend”, he showed the world what true sportsmanship is. No matter his struggles, Maradona will be remembered for his formidable skills on the football field.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,
Faridabad

Sir — Indian football fans were exhilarated when their idol, Diego Maradona, visited the country. His visits to Calcutta and Kannur — both places are known for their love of football — are remembered with fondness. Hailing from Kannur, I remember and cherish the day Maradona came to our city eight years ago to attend a private event.

The whole city was in a frenzy and I remember that the roads and the premises of the hotel in which Maradona stayed were crammed with football fans. The streets of Kannur were filled with huge posters, banners and hoardings to welcome the Argentinian legend. This visit continues to be a matter of pride for all his fans in Kerala.

Interestingly, the hotel room in which he stayed during his visit has been turned into a shrine by the owner, who is an ardent Maradona fan himself. Although he is no longer with us, these wonderful memories will keep millions of his fans going.

M. Pradyu,
Kannur

Sir — I was not a fan of football until I saw a snippet of a match in which Diego Maradona was playing back in the early 1980s. The Argentinian player’s exceptional skill was the reason why I developed an interest in the game.

It is unfortunate that he struggled with addiction all his life. Undoubtedly one of the greatest football players of all time, had Maradona led a disciplined life he would have scaled far greater heights in the game.

Mohua Sen Dasgupta,
Calcutta

Make a move

Sir — As people continue to be restricted to their homes as a result of Covid-19, the World Health Organization has, once again, stressed the importance of exercise for physical and mental well-being. This is particularly important for the elderly who, having been locked in for months, are now finding basic physical activity difficult. Staying active can be challenging for the aged, but even light exercise can be immensely helpful and reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and cognitive decline. In such trying times we must do our best to ensure that our loved ones remain healthy.

Anamika Saha,
Calcutta