On one facet of the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, there’s a quiet little residential space, which I most likely would not have even checked out whereas making an attempt to stroll across the stadium earlier than the warm-up match of the Hungarian nationwide soccer crew in opposition to Eire, if it hadn’t appeared on the finish of the small slender avenue opening from Tub Ave. an image of the world. That was the one factor that drew me to Havelock Sq., however as I walked in direction of the ever-growing stadium, a mural of Diego Maradona abruptly appeared, overlaying your entire facet of a storage.
Aviva Stadium in Dublin is a stone’s throw away from Maradona’s pilgrimage website (Picture: Magyar Nemzet)
As I used to be taking a photograph of the image, the door of the home behind me, reverse the facet of the storage, opened and a stunning girl requested if she might assist me with the photograph. We began speaking, and shortly it was talked about that I had come to the match from Hungary. When he modified to Hungarian and stated “hello then”. That is how I met the Hungarian proprietor of the Maradona mural in Dublin.
– My husband performed soccer, and following him, our older son, Johnny Figo, additionally loves soccer passionately, he performed for six years in St. Joseph FC, the place the Argentinian Fabian Costello was additionally his coach – Anita Murphy started the story of the portray. – He’s from Rosario, he performed soccer within the well-known Newell’s Outdated Boys, the place Maradona additionally performed for a short while in direction of the top of his profession, so that they met in individual. By way of him, Johnny additionally received to know Maradona’s legend completely.
The mural was accomplished simply months after Maradona’s demise in November 2020. At the moment, we had been nonetheless residing within the interval of bans as a consequence of Covid, coaching couldn’t be held in Eire, because of this the household determined to place an image of the Argentine legend on the facet wall of the storage reverse the entrance door of their home to encourage Johnny, who missed the sport.
– Because it was not attainable to go to coaching periods, we thought that the picture of Maradona would encourage Johnny and he wish to play soccer on this surroundings – defined Anita. “Happily, we weren’t mistaken, he practices lots right here.”
And never solely did the mural profit Johnny, Dublin additionally advantages from it, it has turn out to be an actual hidden treasure of the town, the eyes of vacationers typically catch its eye. In actual fact phrase spreads, and now it has turn out to be an actual place of pilgrimage, particularly amongst Argentines visiting Dublin and Napoli followers, who hold the reminiscence of their former beloved star, the divine Diego. And what makes the image much more particular is that Maradona himself was within the rapid neighborhood, since in 1980, On the age of 19, he performed in opposition to the Irish nationwide crew in entrance of the Aviva Stadiumwithin the former Lansdowne Street Stadium in the identical location.
From a youngsters’s dwelling to the Maradona statue in Dublin
Anita moved to Eire eighteen years in the past, on the age of 24, the place regardless of having a social pedagogy diploma from Esztergom in her pocket, she initially labored as a cleaner in an workplace and in a restaurant at Dublin airport. She met her husband, David Murphy, they usually had two youngsters, the aforementioned Johnny, who’s now 13 years previous, and his youthful brother, Henry.
Anita, Henry, David and Johnny on the Irish-Hungarian nationwide crew match in Dublin (Picture: Anita Murphy)
The boys solely converse English, and the husband, David, solely is aware of a number of phrases in Hungarian, equivalent to I really like you or good night time. It did not occur by likelihood, Anita was despatched to a youngsters’s dwelling by her mother and father, she lived within the Oroszlányi Youngsters’s House from the age of seven till she continued her schooling, at this time nearly nothing connects her to Hungary.
Szoboszla? Too unhealthy it is not Manchester United’s!
On Tuesday, the household visited the Irish-Hungarian nationwide crew match on the close by Aviva Stadium. “I could not lose this time, as a result of I am each Irish and Hungarian,” Johnny pointedly remarked to us the day after the match. In the long run, his Irish self could possibly be completely satisfied, as a result of the Szoboszlai Dominiques misplaced 2-1 in Dublin after a 92nd minute purpose scored after an enormous mistake after 14 unbeaten matches. “I feel the Hungarian crew will play higher on the European Championship,” added Johnny. We belief that too.
Johnny practices in an Irish shirt within the shadow of Maradona (Supply: Anita Murphy)
Anita’s older son is a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United, however now he is aware of Szoboszlai’s title effectively: – He’s an excellent participant, I want his crew was Manchester United, not Liverpool!
Having progressed by means of the Irish youth ranks, Johnny takes soccer significantly and has large objectives. He needs to be a part of the nationwide crew, whether or not Irish or Hungarian, he emphasised, and in the future he needs to win the Ballon d’Or. In line with him, the image of Maradona on the wall of their storage can even assist with this:
– It appears to be like very cool and provides me loads of motivation to work laborious and enhance myself. In line with my private coach, Maradona has magical powers that may assist me too.
