INTERNATIONAL: Football legend Diego Maradona is an icon around the world, but at a church in Mexico he’s the object of actual worship. In the Mexican city of Puebla, a new church opened on 7 July, celebrating the "religion" created in Argentina in 1998 by admirers of Maradona. Inside the church, the Catholic Stations of the Cross are recreated with photos of Maradona from his childhood to emblematic meetings with the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Pope Francis.

The “Maradonian Religion” has now spread to several countries around the world and has more than half a million followers. Maradona died in November 2020 shortly after celebrating his 60th birthday, having achieved soccer glory after winning the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, crowning him as one of the best players of all time.

Marcelo Buchet, who opened the church, says it was a place "where we can talk about football, and it is not like going to another church, sitting down and listening." People appear to be very happy. Some cry, others throw themselves at his picture or pray. Buchet admits he feels much better now that he is not the only one going loco over Maradonna.