Iglesia Maradoniana

Iglesia Maradoniana (Church of Maradona)
A stencil graffiti of Maradona running with the ball and the caption D10S ∃XISTE.
A Maradonian graffito.
AbbreviationIM/CoM
TypeChristian-style movement
OrientationSport-themed parody religion
ScriptureYo soy el Diego de la gente[1]
RegionArgentina
FounderHéctor Campomar
Alejandro Verón
Hernán Amez
Origin30 October 1998
Rosario, Argentina

The Iglesia Maradoniana (literally Church of Maradona or Maradonian Church) is a parody religion, created by fans of the late Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, whom they believe to be the greatest of all time.

The Church was founded on October 30, 1998 (Maradona's 38th birthday) in the city of Rosario, Argentina by three fans (Héctor Campomar, Alejandro Verón and Hernán Amez).[2] It could be seen as a type of syncretism or as a religion, depending on what religious definition one chooses to use. It was said by Alejandro Verón, one of the founders: "I have a rational religion and that's the Catholic Church and I have a religion passed on my heart and passion and that's Diego Maradona."[citation needed] Supporters of the Church, supposedly from all parts of the world, count the years since Maradona's birth in 1960 with the era designation d. D. (Spanish: después de Diego, lit.'after Diego').

They also use D10S for Maradona since it fuses Dios ("God") and 10, the number on Maradona's jersey.[3] The church has expanded to other countries such as Spain, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Japan, Afghanistan, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and the United States, among many others.[4][5] In Spain, for example, it is believed that there are more than 9,000 followers.

  1. ^ "La Iglesia de Dios". Diario Olé (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
  2. ^ Selhi, Myriam (November 9, 2017). "Church of Maradona: Worshipping a (Former) Demi-God With Unusual Athletic Abilities". Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  3. ^ Vidal Bueno, Jorge. Dios es argentino. Nacionalismo cultural argentino y Maradona. Repositorio académico de la Universidad de Chile. Consulted on 11 October de 2016.
  4. ^ Iglesia Maradoniana festeja cumpleaños de su 'dios'. Terra Networks.
  5. ^ Amarás a Maradona sobre todas las cosas Revista KienyKe. Consultado el 23 de noviembre de 2016.