Hats off to Gonzalo Higuain who is currently on a hot goalscoring form at Napoli. Massive respect to Lionel Messi for scooping his fifth Ballon d’Or earlier this month. But if you are a Neapolitan, there is only one Argentine that rules in your heart and he goes by the name of Diego Armando Maradona.
The love story between the “God of Football” and the people of this Italian city began in July 1984, at the Stadio San Paolo where 75,000 supporters witnessed his presentation following his Barcelona FC exit. His 115 goals in 259 appearances were precious, as they helped Napoli to clinch the 1986-87 Coppa Italia, 1988-89 UEFA Cup, 1990 Supercoppa Italiana and two Serie A titles (1986-87, 1989-90).
Maradona is a god and Italian artist Vincenzo Lamagna is a worshipper. Displaying on Facebook an image of himself putting the finishing touches to his masterpiece, Lamagna wrote:
“Just thinking about retracing, with a simple pencil, your wrinkles, your skin, the look in your eyes... a unique emotion, as you only could do it with the Neapolitan people! Thank you!”
WATCH: An excerpt of the 57 hours of passion that Vincenzo Lamagna put into his masterpiece
Momenti di pura magia...Grazie ancora a tutti !
Posted by Vincenzo Lamagna on Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Maradona's sketch in stages
The final result… there is only one Diego Maradona!
Speaking exclusively to Live Soccer TV, the artist declared:
"I have a dream, that one day he [Maradona] will be able to see this portrait.
"For me, it's a way of feeling close to him because when I draw, it's as if I am touching every inch of his skin, every hair, his beard... it's as if I'm touching him."
Vincenzo Lamagna started realistic portrait design only two years ago, after coming across an hyper-realistic drawing which amazed him. His passion overcame his fear of failing in arts as he spent days and nights of practice.
"The feeling that pushes me to draw every day is simple," he explained before concluding:
"I want my family and those I love to be proud of me. I also like to see others happy. Their smiles make my day!"
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