In a Rio favela, the streets were painted sky blue and white: there Messi and Maradona are idols, not rivals

Por Maried Díaz
12 July, 2026

In Morro do Dendê, a favela in Rio de Janeiro with nearly 70,000 inhabitants, the walls tell a story that few Brazilians understand. 🇦🇷

EFE

The main street is painted sky blue and white. There are murals of Maradona, Messi, Di María, right there, in the heart of Brazilian territory. Half the residents support Brazil. The other half, with the same passion, dreams in Argentine.

EFE

In barbershops, on the streets, in every home, two loves coexist without asking each other’s permission. And although some people on social media do not understand it, that devotion remains there, as real as any other. ⚽💙🤍

EFE

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