Besides artists with unpronounceable names where no one under For 30 years, Jerry Seinfeld has also been nominated for a Grammy. In the ‘comedy’ category, because the man cannot sing.
His stand-up is called 23 Hours to Kill.
That reminded me yesterday when the message reached the mainland that Diego Armando Maradona’s overloaded sports heart had stopped beating.
That was true for only ninety minutes a day during his lifetime – albeit a bit longer when there were extra times and penalties.
Throughout his career, a footballer lives with a built-in clock that works towards the match: those ninety minutes are his only reason for being.
Beyond that, it is time to cuddle up and train. Waiting for the next match. Still 23 hours until the next.
The scent of hard grass shining in the sun, the sound of thousands of throats all calling your name. The blinding light of the spots. The attention, the girls, the lines.
The football player here differs from the pop musician on tour in nothing. They too are only really alive when the curtain rises and the drummer counts down the first song. As high as a Colombian drug tester, the singer steps off the stage, packed full of adrenaline.
On to the girls.
Every musician has to kick the habit after a tour, and often not even from drugs, because most of those men nowadays practice Tantric yoga and take extra vitamin D. Half an hour before the show, the personal assistant brings a dish of spinach and marinated tofu.
What a difference from Maradona’s time.
Unforgettable are the images in which, after taking a winning penalty kick during a gala match, he, after taking a winning penalty kick during a gala match, is still offered a line of coke from his carer for a long time. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad.
There is a beautiful photo that illustrates how strong he was and how terrified the opposition was from him. Only it is not correct.
The statue was made during the glorious match against the Belgians in 1982. Six Red Devils have built a wall for Maradona. So it seems. In real life, the photo was taken with a telephoto lens, which distorted perspective and distorted history. The red wall was lined up for a free kick who was bypassed by a cunning pass to the side. To Maradona. The Belgians played it cunningly throughout the match and weaved a web around the young star, who could barely get out of it.
“We did not look up to him during that period,” said Jan Ceulemans. “We talked about him once, but we didn’t really know him. We had never seen him play before. ”
The photo suggests otherwise, but is deceiving.
The photo matches the image we have of him.
That image lies.
After all, reality is boring.
At least 23 hours a day.
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