Calcutta: It is now 11 years since Diego Armando Maradona quit playing the beautiful game. And in these 11 years, the fire of publicity has almost reduced the monumentally gifted player to cinders.

Yet, on Saturday, when the man with the divine left foot made a series of public appearances in the city, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the attention.

Maradona knew that the thousands of people who lined up to have a glimpse of him would enjoy watching the soccer great juggle the ball in the purely magical way that made him the walking legend of world football. Maradona did not disappoint in his all three public appearances during the day, including the one at the media conference.

Maradona’s former teammate Valdano once described Maradona as a “genetic miracle with extraordinary abilities, and a committed person”. A glimpse of it was seen during the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Maheshtala Sports Complex when a young boy from the crowd suddenly threw a football at him.

Maradona had just stepped onto a raised platform on the dais to wave to the cheering crowd. For a split second he seemed to be caught unawares of the ball coming towards him.

Next moment, he leaned to his right to make little room and then received the ball on his left thigh as if he was picking it up on the edge of the rival box. Quickly he transferred the ball to his right and then back to the left before sending it back with a gentle shot. The crowd roared and a contended Maradona flashed a smile.

Overall, the Argentine star looked a happy settled man, who has left his bad days behind. It was indeed a triumph for a once confused soul who then complained, “I was carried to the mountain top but no one explained how I should behave when I arrived there.”

Back at the hotel where the Argentine star spoke impressively during the media interaction, the 48-year-old superstar once again displayed his passion for the ball that has earned him the tag of world’s finest footballer.

In the end, when he admitted that he won’t mind being called the god of football, Maradona was again handed over a ball for the benefit of the photographers. The ever-obliging Argentine, who was once described by Brazilian coach Tele Santana as someone who can dribble past four opponents on a handkerchief, gladly placed it on his head.

For a few seconds it was like watching an adhesive advertisement on the television. The ball remained stuck to his head. As the photographers clicked away, Maradona was not happy with his own show. He placed it back on the head and remained static for nearly half a minute. Satisfied, he offered a broad smile and walked off in his typical aggressive style.

In the end, Diego Armando Maradona showed he remains a football mad person.

The game is his life and death, joy and sorrow. The very sight of a ball simply turns him on. As if to prove it for the third time in the day, he repeated the feat in front of a big crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium. It was yet another exquisite show of ball control that left the current lot of local footballers stunned too.