Maradona Fan Fest hits Miami: Flying museum, AI hologram and a million-dollar prize

There are few soccer players, few athletes from any sport, that inspire devotion like Diego Armando Maradona. The iconic Argentine was the finest player of his generation, took unfancied Napoli to unfathomable heights and led his nation to a famous World Cup triumph in 1986.

Maradona, who passed away in 2020, is the subject of a new exhibition entitled the TANGO D10S Fan Fest, which is open to the public from Thursday, 27 June to Sunday, 30 June. The project is supported by Maradona’s family and countless teaMMAtes and is part of a four-year journey to spread his legacy around the world.

Ahead of the grand opening in Miami we spoke to Gastón Kolker, the architect behind the Fan Fest and a devotee of the soccer legend.

Full screen

From humble beginnings

Speaking to Gastón, his passion for Maradona’s journey is clear. And that journey does not begin with the big move to Barcelona in 1982, or his breakthrough season with Boca Juniors, or even his professional debut, aged 15, with Argentinos Juniors. No, Maradona’s story begins at the very start.

“I think his background is everything,” Gastón explains. “If you see where he comes from, the slums of Argentina where there’s nothing there, and what he did in the way that he did it. It’s like the only one in the world. That’s the main attraction for people, where he came from and what he achieved.”

It’s that journey, that rags to riches story, that captured the imaginations of a generation of soccer fans and continues to enchant to this day. Gastón was in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, with an airplane fitted out with memorabilia in a tribute to Maradona, and felt the extent of the love for his idol.

“When we were in Qatar all the people were like ‘Maradona, Maradona, Maradona’. It’s very inspiring for people. What he became, what he did, and where he came from. That’s why we chose him.”

Friends and family come together for Maradona

The TANGO D10S Fan Fest is a vast exhibition with memorabilia, Games, an AI-powered Diego Maradona hologram and, of course, the aforementioned plane. But aside from that, Gastón has also managed to enlist Maradona’s children and countless teaMMAtes to help tell the story.

“We have his idol, [Ricardo] Bochini, we have [Ariel] Ortega, the guy who replaced him in the ‘94 World Cup. We have [Mario] Kempes, the number nine in ‘78. We have a lot!”

Maradona’s children Dalma, Giannina, Jana, Diego Junior, and Diego Sinagra will also be in attendance over the weekend, the first time that they have come together to work on a project honouring their father.

Love for Maradona runs deep

Debates over the greatest player of all time are long and messy, a matter of preference for each individual fan. But while other players may have won more trophies, or played with greater consistency and longevity, Maradona’s peak may be higher than any of his rivals.

“There’s always the comparison with Messi, or with Pele. But I don’t think that anyone achieved what he did at the World Cup in 1986,” Gastón explains, reminiscing on the seven, near-perfect Maradona performances that dragged a mediocre Argentina team to become world champions. That tournament remains etched in the History books and Maradona’s legacy continues to enthral, years after his death.

“My partner, Maximiliano, lived with Diego in Dubai for two years,” says Gastón. “He comes from the same kind of background, from the slums. This guy actually has Maradona’s Hand of God in his stomach, Maradona’s tattooed hand. He made his son be born on the 30th of October, like Maradona, through caesarean section. He called him Diego Armando.”