Hand of God mural of Maradona by Frizzera, Mariani and Ron

Lean Frizzera, Emy Mariani and Martin Ron have just finished painting a brilliant new mural in Palermo depicting Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal. Photos by Buenos Aires Street Art.

New Maradona ‘Hand of God’ mural in Palermo (photo © BA Street Art)

Controversial (photo © BA Street Art)

Known as ‘La mano de Dios’ in Spanish, the controversial first goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final was allowed despite Maradona handling the ball into the net. Argentina of course went on to win the trophy and the goal has become part of Argentine folklore.

Lean Frizzera: “To us Maradona is the God of the people.” (photo © BA Street Art)

The idea for the new design came about after the murals that Lean, Martin and Emy had painted during the Meeting of Styles graffiti festival in November 2011 were covered over by political propaganda a week ago. Lean said: “We wanted to make a mural of the Hand of God in a similar way to (José de) San Martín (Argentine national hero who helped liberate the Argentina from the Spanish in the 19th century) with the saints. To us Maradona is the God of the People.”

On the ball – Lean Frizzera & Emy Mariani (photo © BA Street Art)

Lean, Martin and Emy like to paint murals that provoke a reaction whether positive or negative. And Lean explained: “The mural itself is controversial as the goal is part of Argentine folklore and it’s really interesting to put it there. “We all know that the ball went into the net off Maradona’s hand but the act highlights lots of other things. For us it’s a way to recognize that he was a cheat, he was also very brave and that it was a controversial act.”

Nice finish – Martin Ron, Emy Mariani & Lean Frizzera with ‘El Dios’ (photo © BA Street Art)

Maradona, the person, is a controversial figure who polarizes opinion in Argentina as well. “It’s clear there are strong contrasts in his character,” states Lean. “He (Maradona) has qualities that are really admirable. He’s thoughtful but is also a guy who is very impulsive. To me he is a person who people look up to in a lot of places, more for where he sits in our society. He says things that sometimes annoy certain people and for many privileged parts of society he is the symbol of all that is bad. That he is such a controversial figure is what interests me.”

New Maradona ‘Hand of God’ mural in Palermo (photo © BA Street Art)

The new design measuring 30 by 5 metres at Avenida Libertador and Avenida Dorrego also features the the letters “DV” on a roadside sign which is short for “Diego vuelve” meaning “Diego returns” while at the same time mocks Argentine politics with “V” being a symbol of the Peronist party.

DV “Diego returns” (photo © BA Street Art)

Also check out our interview with Lean Frizzera

All photos © Buenos Aires Street Art