Toward the end of 1984, a desperate father got in touch with a Napoli soccer player. He asked him to convey to the coach and management his wish to organize a friendly match to raise money for his son, whose life was in danger and who neededsurgery as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the president of Napoli did not give the «green light» for the game to go on, because he was afraid his players might get injured.
The incident came to the attention of Diego Armando Maradona, the world’s top soccer player at the time. The Argentine rebelled against the president, paid a 12 million Italian lire penalty to the insurance company (Lloyd’s) that insured the legs of Napoli’s players, and said: «Lloyd’s shouldn’t be dragged into this—this fight has to be for the child’s sake!». And on a freezing Monday in January way back in 1985, Maradona and his teammates traveled to the obscure town of Acerra and to a swampy field—full of mud and potholes— they played as if it were a Champions League final, in front of a packed crowd going wild with joy, breathing life into a little angel…
