In the heart of Naples, between laundry lines, old balconies, and colorful alleys, a wall-sized face looks down on the crowd: it is Diego Armando Maradona, eyes fixed ahead, his expression half-mystic, half-defiant.
Around him, scarves, candles, and handwritten notes hang like votive offerings. The mural, painted in 1990 by local artist Mario Filardi, was funded by residents when Maradona led Napoli to victory in the Italian Serie A soccer championship; over three decades later, it’s still there, in the Spanish Quarters, a bit monument, a bit shrine, layered with the affection of a city that made a footballer its saint.
