Roberto Cejas became famous thanks to a photo that has remained legendary. He was the lucky Argentine fan who carried Diego Maradona on his shoulders immediately after the 1986 World Cup final triumph over West Germany in Mexico. He walked around the Azteca arena, alongside Pibe de Oro, who was showing the world the newly won trophy.
Roberto and the photo that represents a page of history in itself
The man, originally from Santa Fe, died on Monday, at the age of 68, after a long suffering. His sister-in-law, Silvia Zabala, announced the news on social media: “Fly high. Rest in peace and take care of all of us out there“.
He didn’t have a ticket to the final. “I promised my teammates that I would only go to Mexico City if Argentina won the semi-final against Belgium” he said, a few years later. “It happened and I did it. A group of friends and I paid a steward $17 and he let us into the stadium“.
Argentina’s 3-2 victory against West Germany allowed Bilardo’s team to win their second World Cup. Maradona didn’t find the back of the net in the final, but his stunning brace against England in the quarter-finals was still on everyone’s mind.
“I lifted you up and you took me to eternity””
“At the final whistle, I jumped the ditch and ran onto the pitch. I don’t know how, but I woke up next to Diego“, Cejas recounted. “He was the one who asked me to carry it on my shoulders. At one point, all I could see were photographs. He had the trophy in his hands. We walked around the field, we were living a dream“.
Roberto Cejas’ life changed that day on June 29, 1986. The fan even managed to ask Diego for his boots from that match, but the South American star replied: “I can’t, I have to take them to my mother“.
Cejas remained close to Maradona. I met him in 2014, almost 30 years after the celebration they shared at the Azteca stadium. At the time, Diego was hosting a television show with Víctor Hugo Morales.
The two embraced, remembering that afternoon in Mexico City: “He told me: “I know how much the World Cup weighs, and you know how much Maradona weighs with the most beautiful trophy in existence.” It was exciting“.
When Roberto was asked what Pibe de Oro means to him, he replied: “It is a very important part of Argentina’s history. It opened our doors to the world. If I could, I would say to him one last time: “I lifted you up and you took me to eternity”.“
