All possible Maradonas
The walls of Buenos Aires speak in a language that blends city heat with legend. Years ago, the mayor identified hundreds of facades covered in graffiti and launched daily efforts to erase the traces. Yet a message persisted, almost like a whisper carried by the city itself: I don’t take a bath. It felt as though the city, in its own way, admitted a certain stain, and officials chased the authors with little luck. One image remained untouched by suppression or vandalism, a striking portrait that spoke for itself: Diego Maradona. Even now, nearly three years after his death, his image proliferates across neighborhoods. From the vantage point of the city, divinity seems to watch life not only from above but from the walls as well.
A form of Maradonist muralism emerged, introducing a fresh visual language to the urban landscape. In this case, authorities displayed tolerance, and sometimes even encouragement. Maradona became a central cultural symbol in Argentina’s recent history, said sociologist Pablo Alabarces, a keen observer of these expressions and idolatries. He noted that Maradona’s fame resonates beyond local borders, carrying an emotional weight that makes him more than just a sports figure. He is described as the former captain of the 1986 World Cup team and a figure whose story connects through neighborhoods and generations.
Despite generating controversy and occasional hostility, the Maradona likeness is widely respected and enduring. Murals endure far longer than many other urban interventions, a rarity in a city where graffiti often fades. Journalists from La Nación and other outlets have documented the persistence of these works, with writers and photographers chronicling the evolving murals over time.
The city of Buenos Aires covers about 203 square kilometers and carries stark social and urban contrasts. A street named Rivadavia marks a division between wealthier neighborhoods near the La Plata River and areas facing greater security challenges farther inland. Yet both sides share a common emblem: Maradona’s face, a symbol that transcends social divides. The affection for the figure has traveled beyond Argentina, aided by devotion born from the myth to places as far away as Naples, where Maradona also holds a special place, and to communities in India, Lebanon, Kenya, France, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, England, Armenia, Serbia, Spain, Iran, and Bangladesh. The mural phenomenon has become a global emotional conversation about identity and memory.
Nicolás Reyes and Máximo Randrup described this shared emotional bond as murals of a god, a book containing hundreds of the world’s most recognizable street images. They explained that Maradona remains present in everyday life, refusing to become mere memories. Sometimes, while strolling through a street, one encounters a Maradona wall that seems to summon him again. The duo maintain an Instagram account where new pieces are posted as soon as they are discovered, creating a living catalog of the city’s public art.
All possible Maradonas
A life told through murals cannot be bottled into a single official image. Maradona’s likeness appears as many times as there were lives to live. Some depictions show him regal, erupting with goals; others capture moments of sadness or vulnerability. Images range from Maradona with a trimmed beard, cradling his children or parents, to scenes of him smoking a cigar, or as a playful youth with a ball perched on his head. He is shown wearing clubs’ jerseys, radiant with angels or halos, and sometimes passing a ball to Leo Messi, as if the chain of Argentine greatness passes along the field of memory.
One of the most striking representations blends reverence with irreverent art, echoing Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam. In a twist, Maradona and another star are shown within the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling, as if God himself touched the first man. This vast scene spans a football field-sized mural in the city, turning sports into a shared epic. In neighborhoods such as Sportivo Pereyra and the Barracks district, the walls function as public canvases where Maradona’s myth continues to unfold.
In western districts, a cluster of murals close to slaughterhouses fills the landscape with color. Some works were funded by the community, and votive offerings and candles appear beside the images, as if Maradona were a modern-day saint in the streets.
Just as Diego ignited intense emotions, one dramatic piece stands as a record of memory: a 45-meter image recalling the 1990 World Cup final against Germany. The hero’s wrist is captured at a tense moment, a reminder of a match that still stirs long after the final whistle. Visual artist Martín Ron created this monumental work on a tall building on San Juan Boulevard in the Virreyes district, sponsored by the oil company YPF. When Ron agreed to undertake the project, he said the city’s public ownership of Maradona demanded a monumental presence on a busy wall.
Last month, Diego would have turned 63. The city marked the day by revisiting some of his brightest moments, a reminder that his legacy remains deeply woven into the urban fabric and the memories of those who watch the walls as they move through the city.