In Naples, the name of Diego Armando Maradona transcends sport to become identity and ritual. In this reportage, I wanted to document the spiritual legacy left by the “Pibe de Oro”, exploring the places where his myth continues to live: from the Spanish Quarters to the outskirts, all the way to the makeshift shrines that have sprung up in every corner of the city.
The lens moved through the streets, seeking to capture not only the iconography of the champion, but the visceral sentiment of a people who never stopped feeling his presence.
The Bond with the Image: The research focuses on the relationship between man and myth. I documented the faces of those who are still moved by a portrait today, and the transformation of the city into an open-air museum. Every photograph is a testimony to how memory can become a living element of the social and urban fabric.
The Power of the Single Shot: In a context so charged with stimuli, the challenge was to isolate the detail capable of conveying the totality of a passion. From the large murals to the small secular ex-votos, photography freezes time on a devotion that knows no forgetting, restoring the almost sacred dimension of this unbreakable bond.
My commitment to this project was to remain a discreet witness to an overwhelming passion. Through my photographic gaze, I wanted to translate into images the strength of a myth that continues to unite different generations, offering an honest and direct vision of what Maradona still represents today for his people.
