मॅराडोना , माझा मित्र परम आणि मंतरतेले २३ जून १९८६...Maradona and the Ravishingly Beautiful Game

#Maradona

#June221986

नोव्हेंबर १९८४ मध्ये मी ठाणे - वाशी रस्त्यावरील नोसील कंपनीत नोकरी करू लागलो आणि १९८५ मध्ये, केंव्हातरी, कंपनीने लीज केलेल्या ,ठाणे- नौपाडा येथील दमाणी इस्टेट नावाच्या सोसायटीत माझ्या दोन कलिग्ज बरोबर, दोन लागून असलेल्या फ्लॅट्स मध्ये राहायला गेलो. 

त्यातील एक होता कलकत्याचा आणि आयआयटी खरगपूरमधून नुकताच केमिकल इंजिनियर झालेला व्ही परमेस्वरन, आमच्या साठी परम. 

परमची  आणि माझी अगदी दाट मैत्री पुढे होणार होती. त्याला अनेक कारणे असणार होती. पण त्यातील एक कारण आमच्या प्रथम भेटीतच समोर आले- आम्हा दोघांचे अनेक खेळांवर असलेले प्रेम. 

१९८६ चा फुटबॉल वर्ल्ड कप जसा जवळ यायला लागला तसा परम अस्वस्थ व्हायला लागला कारण आमच्या दोन्ही फ्लॅट मध्ये टीव्ही नव्हता आणि नारायण (दुसरा कलीग) आणि मी तो घ्यायला इतके उत्सुक पण नव्हतो. शेवटी वैतागून परम एकट्याने ब्लॅक आणि व्हाईट टीव्ही विकत घेऊन आला!

 तेंव्हा परमच्या मनाच्या मोठेपणामुळे मला १९८६ चा वर्ल्ड कप बघता आला. त्यातील सर्वात भारी मॅच बहुदा भारतात २३ जून १९८६च्या सकाळी बघितली. अर्जेंटिना विरुद्ध इंग्लंड. 

प्रसिद्ध फुटबॉल खेळाडू गॅरी लिनेकर त्या मॅच बद्दल आणि  मॅराडोना यांच्या बद्दल एप्रिल २००४ मध्ये लिहतात:

"...In my mind, Maradona should be remembered more for that sublime second goal. What sticks in my mind about that match was the pitch being just big lumps of turf. It was all but unplayable and when you tried to turn, the whole pitch seemed to turn with you.

But for a genius nothing was impossible and as I again stood in my customary position, I had a perfect view as he received the ball, controlled it with one touch, turned perfectly and accelerated past the first English player. The rest, as they say, is history but whatever people think about his handled goal, they ought to give him credit for the second one that day.

 It was a magnificent run and a magnificent finish. Sometimes, no matter how disappointed you feel as a player, you have to accept that a goal is simply brilliant and unstoppable, and give credit to the opposition. It was so unbelievable that I actually felt like applauding, though naturally I didn't. Not with Terry Butcher on the pitch...."

हा गोल झालेला मला काही सेकंद समजलाच नाही कारण त्याआधी काही क्षण मॅराडोना पडतो की काय असे वाटले होते आणि माझे मन अजून तेथेच घुटमळत होते. पण तो गोल पाहिल्यानंतर मॅराडोनाची महानता तर लक्षात आलीच आणि फुटबॉलचे अतीव सौन्दर्य ध्यानात आले. 

लिनेकर मॅराडोना बद्दल आणखी लिहतात:

"... Between around 1984 and 1990 he was an incredible performer, the best in the world, and it is no exaggeration to say that he was carrying the whole Argentine nation on his back.

No wonder so many of his countrymen held a vigil outside the clinic where he was being treated.

 He was a footballing genius and the best player of my lifetime. I know everyone talks about Pele and George Best but they came a bit early for me and of the players I watched, Maradona was head and shoulders above anything else I saw. He was a short, dumpy player who didn't even look like an athlete but he was electrifying on the park, as slippery as an eel and with great vision. Simply a breathtaking footballer.

 Let me tell you just one little story to demonstrate his unique ability. During my days at Barcelona, I was picked to play alongside him for a Rest of the World X1 against an English League team and as we warmed up in the centre circle he hoofed the ball into the night sky as high as he could. When it came down, he trapped it perfectly on his left foot.

 An interesting little party piece, you might think. But he did it again and again and again, perhaps 13 times in all, each time kicking it as high as he could. Believe me, that is near-impossible but I stood there watching with Michel Platini, who was a pretty special player himself. Yet even he was open-mouthed, in awe of the magnificence of what he was seeing.

 Most players would have been proud to have managed that feat three times and, if they had done so, would have been sprinting to reach the ball by the third attempt. Yet Maradona could not have moved five yards throughout his exhibition, which demonstrated that he could do almost anything with that left foot..."

माझ्यासाठी मॅराडोना ने  नुसती सकाळच मंतरली नाही तर एक मानवी इतिहासातील मोठी गोष्ट... त्याच्या आठवणी बरोबर निघते माझ्या 'परम' मित्राची आठवण... 

आणखी एक लक्षात आले: सोशल मीडिया आणि मोबाईल (आणि बऱ्याच ठिकाणी लँडलाईन) नसलेला तो काळ होता आणि त्या थरारक खेळा बद्दल आज लिहताना ह्या  कशाचीही आठवण ही शेवटची ओळ लिहीपर्यंत झाली नाही....