Saying Diego Armando Maradona (same goes for Lionel Messi) anywhere in the world leads to the association with Argentina and football. It's a name that commands admiration regardless of the distance, language, religion, or political regime.

Boundary-less Legend: Maradona has a museum in Kuwait

By Guillermo Tagliaferri

For instance, in distant Kuwait, an Arab country located in Asia, a local fan has created a museum exclusively dedicated to the late number 10, and it already boasts over 1500 items.

A museum for Diego Maradona fans

Hassan Al-Sarraf Bu Ali, 43 years old, married and father of 5 children, a sports content producer for Kuwait Sports TV, doesn't speak Spanish, never saw Maradona play on the field, and has never set foot in Argentina. Nevertheless, he set up his museum as a tribute to Diego.

Maradona is life and love, and he is the greatest football player and athlete on the planet.

How did this adventure of creating a museum dedicated to Maradona begin?

Actually, I never expected to have a museum, but when I was young, specifically in 1989, my uncle gave me a medal of Maradona, which he received when he won the UEFA Cup with Napoli in 1988-1989. After that, I used to collect everything related to Maradona, like video tapes, magazines, and newspapers. By 2010, I realized that I had amassed a large number of items, and that's when I thought about establishing a private museum dedicated to the greatest player in history.

Did you ever get to meet Diego in person?

No, he didn't visit the Arab region while he was playing football. He was only there when he was a coach at Al Wasl Club in the United Arab Emirates, but I didn't get a chance to see him in person.

Have you ever been to the Republic of Argentina?

No, I haven't visited it, but I have plans to visit Argentina soon. I would like to be there specifically on October 30th (Maradona's birthday) because I would like to visit my friend Alejandro Verón, the founder and owner of the Maradonian Church, which was established on October 30th, 1998.

If you had to choose the most valuable item, not in terms of money but in terms of sentimental or personal importance, from your museum, what would it be?

I have an original document from the Municipality of Buenos Aires with Maradona's father's signature authorizing his son to travel with the Cebollitas team (the famous youth division of Argentinos Juniors) outside of Argentina. At that time, Maradona was a minor and needed his father's permission to leave the country. This is the most emotional item for me in the museum. I have the first document used by Maradona to travel outside of Argentina.

Anything else?

I also have five jerseys worn by Diego in matches, a hat, and shoes that he wore. And some photos with Maradona's signature. These are also important items in my precious collection.

Who can visit your museum?

This museum is primarily for Maradona fans and then for fans of the Argentine national team and anyone from the Argentine people.

What does Maradona mean to you?

Maradona is life and love, and he is the greatest football player and athlete on the planet. Maradona is the true example of a good person, and for me, he is the greatest revolutionary, like Che Guevara. Maradona has given me a great life and taught me to speak the truth and reject the corrupt. I love Maradona more than Maradona's own children love their father. I adore Maradona more than the love Napoli fans have for him. I adore Maradona more than anyone else. Maradona is the air I breathe.

Due to the distance, it must be quite challenging to obtain objects for your collection. How do you acquire the items?

Yes, it's very, very difficult. I managed to get some things from various websites, but there is always a risk of theft. Sometimes, I buy items from my friends in Argentina. After that, I face difficulties in transporting them to Kuwait, and sometimes the Kuwait Embassy in Argentina helps me, but it takes four months for the shipment to reach me.

How many objects, approximately, do you have in your museum?

I have over 1,500 pieces, all related to Maradona, including match tickets, antiques, videos, books, magazines, figurines, photos, as well as jerseys, boots, and many other things.

Source: https://elcafediario.com/crack-sin-fronteras-diego-maradona-tambien-tiene-su-museo-en-kuwait/