Diego Maradona - Football Legend(A Tribute) Poem by Bernedita Rosinha Pinto

"Let me go joyously, O God,
my time and achievements have well passed,
my ego now hurts no more,
my commitments are long over and complete,
I need no more extra-time
as I will sleep now and not wake up again,
I know I will not win this match
as I have scored all my goals;
the time for my defeat has now arrived,
and at the right-corner is where I will stand
and wait for the door of heaven to open ".

No one ever understood his dilemma,
no one ever understood he was tired
and that he had stopped dreaming;
what could one do
but yield to circumstances:
where man says to men -
" it is my life and not yours.
it is my decision and not yours,
it is my fate I have to face and deal".

And those who were around him
kept watching and felt pained
to watch his helplessness;
he never gave up his grit and joviality;
he had always been a scorer
he had always been the master of his game;
he had always won and scored many victories
not just for himself
but for his clubs and country
he was rated as the best player in the world.

What he could do only legends could do
as he would always win wherever he would go;
yet he was still a man
and men always have
their own vices and choices;
whether it is drinks and drugs
whether it is love or friendship,
whether it is divorces or romances
all becomes a part of life's deal.

And as he played with his expertise
he played with his own reflections;
in his own recesses and excesses
he was swift and insistent;
in his success and freedom he mixed
prosperity and indulgence;
and as years turned into a lifetime
he never gave up his commitment to his game,
his dedication to football
was outstanding and unforgettable.

Everywhere he promoted football
whether it was as a player
or as a manager
whether it was on a playground
or in the clubhouse,
he dedicated his entire life
to the game he loved the most,
to the game he could play the best.

Then came that moment
when he had to quit;
he never waited for sympathy,
he never waited for the penalty shot
as death came silently in his sleep to seek him
and give him rest from his anguish
which he had long lived with.

He had been so supportive to football,
his fans wept when he was gone
and these brand of sports humanity
grieved for him;
they knew they will never be able
to separate his memories
from the game of football
and how he played it so well,
how he laughed and loved everyone around him
amidst the turbulences he encountered.

Yet brave was he to accept
that destiny was the only card
which makes men to pay a price,
no matter how rich or famous one may be;
fate makes men to run, chase, achieve acquire,
lose, discard and then surrender his life to death
and whether men defends or runs fast,
death takes the final shot
and silences every player on this earth
whether he was the best scorer
or the best player in the world.