L’Iglesia Maradoniana e il culto del D10S. Un’analisi storico-religiosa

This essay analyses the birth and development of the Iglesia Maradoniana, a devotional movement dedicated to Diego Armando Maradona that has spread to over sixty countries. Through a historical-religious perspective, the study examines the typical features of a religious system: myth, rituals, specialised personnel, beliefs and behavioural norms. From the liturgical calendar (Maradonian Christmas and Easter) to the “10 commandments”, to ritual practices such as baptisms and weddings, the Iglesia shows an organic structure that follows and reinterprets traditional religious models. The analysis also highlights the deep roots of the cult in both Argentina and Naples, emphasising how the phenomenon can be interpreted as a form of popular and postmodern religion, born from the mythologisation of El Pibe de Oro and capable of transforming a sporting icon into a sacred figure.