Last update: March 29, 2024 01:04

Newsroom logo

Football Legend Maradona Sees Himself In Azerbaijani Painting

By Yaver Kazimbeyli January 25, 2018

None

Maradona portrait by Elnur Mahmudov / Elnur Mahmudov's Instagram page

Talent and skill met as the legendary Argentine football (soccer) player Diego Maradona, considered one of the greatest player of all time, was painted by the Azerbaijani artist Elnur Mahmudov recently. During a meeting between the two in Dubai on January 9, Mahmudov presented Maradona with the portrait.

“When I opened the portrait to give it to Maradona, he was shocked with his eyes wide open,” Mahmudov told Sputnik Azerbaijan. “He embraced me after seeing the portrait. We walked together inside his house, for choosing the wall to hang the portrait on.”

“He has no painted picture in his house beside his photographed pictures. Maradona’s manager told me the portrait I gave him will be put in his personal museum,” Mahmudov said.

None

Maradona (L) and Elnur Mahmudov in Maradona's house in Dubai, January 9 / Elnur Mahmudov's Instagram page

Mahmudov may have surprised Maradona, but he is a recognized name in the Caspian region’s artistic circles. A member of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan, he is known for hyperrealism and portraiture. His works have been exhibited in Russia, Iran, Turkey and as far away as Great Britain.

The idea to paint Maradona, who played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup in Mexico where he led Argentina’s team to victory over West Germany in the final, came to Mahmudov when he was in Izmir, Turkey last fall for an artists’ symposium.

“I was sent several photos of Maradona,” Mahmudov explained. “At the moment, he was going through a tough period - he was depressed. So, I decided to choose a positive photo,” Mahmudov said.

“In life, he is a serious man, so I decided to show him from the other side, portraying him laughing, happy,” said Mahmudov, who took 10 days to complete the painting.

Now age 57, Diego Armando Maradona Franco currently resides in Dubai, where he has coached the Fujairah football team since signing a contract in May 2017.