It’s not often that I have seen the magnetism of one person holding a gathering in such thrall. The first day of Dubai Sports Council’s National Day celebrations last Thursday certainly belonged to Diego Maradona in his Arab avatar.
The special invitees at the Dubai Municipality Club grounds in Al Jaddaf were former champion sprinter Ben Johnson and Maradona. Johnson arrived and was ushered in for a quick question-and-answer session, involving various officials from the UAE Athletics Federation along with invited coaches and trainers from Dubai clubs.
Jamie Fuller, chairman of apparel brand Skins and a strong champion of drug-free sport, was conducting the session with Ben Johnson. Suddenly, the doors of the hall were thrown open and in walked a man in a kandora and an all-too-familiar smile.
That was it. Everyone scrambled to have a look at who had arrived. It did not take long to realise what was happening — Maradona had arrived.
The session was stopped midway and everyone, including Johnson, rose to welcome the football legend. Johnson proceeded to hug him while the Q and A session was set aside... it was Maradona time. Some ventured forward to have pictures taken with him while others merely watched.
The showman that he is, Maradona revelled in the moment. He smiled, spoke, cheered and eventually fell in line to join in with a UAE dance.
This was Maradona at his best. Johnson seemed to be a forgotten man but he did a smart thing and went backstage to wear a kandora himself and join Maradona at the open-air function.
Mind you, the Argentine legend is not really a stranger to Dubai. He has been here for a few years now but still retains that magnetism that normally surrounds all the great sportsmen. And yet, he is different.
It’s moments like this that the timeless appeal of a sportsperson like him comes to the fore. Nearly three decades after he stepped away from the world stage, Maradona still has the power to charm, excite and educate.
He is indeed the perfect ambassador for Dubai.
