By Leonardo Benassatto

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Within the Rotundo family in Buenos Aires, the spirit of Diego Maradona has a residing tribute: twin nine-year-old women, Mara and Dona, named after the soccer legend who died this week.

The diminutive playmaker, one of many world’s finest ever who led Argentina to World Cup glory, impressed avid help by his magic on the pitch and his charisma off it, regardless of a turbulent private life dogged by habit.

Maradona died of coronary heart failure on Wednesday and was laid to relaxation on Thursday amid enormous fanfare and excessive emotion, with hundreds of individuals crowding the streets across the capital as his physique was taken to be buried.

The naming of the twins was by no means unsure, stated their dad, Walter Rotundo, who has a tattoo of Maradona on his again and proudly reveals {a photograph} of the soccer star holding an image of the 2 women as infants.

Walter stated the choice over the names went again to the 1990 World Cup when he noticed Maradona cry inconsolably after shedding the ultimate 1-Zero to West Germany. He advised his spouse, Stella Maris Prez, the primary time they met that they’d someday have two daughters – named after the star.

Maradona has virtually cult standing in Argentina, the place his nickname “D10S” is a play of the Spanish phrase for “God” and his famed quantity 10 shirt. Mara and Dona have their very own Argentina shirts with the quantity and their names.

Mara, older than her sister by a minute, stated she cherished her title and the story behind it.

“It appears very lovely to me to have this title and what I like probably the most about this title is realizing why he referred to as me that. I really feel that this title is fantastic,” she stated.

Dona stated Maradona’s loss of life had come as a shock.

“I can not imagine that he died or why he died,” she stated. “He’s an excellent particular person, he didn’t deserve that.”

(Reporting by Leonardo Benassatto; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Modifying by Robert Birsel)