“Maradona is everywhere here in Naples”, says Argentinian rugby player Carlos Gonzalez, advancing to the semifinal with the “Albiceleste” team

“This Universiade is the greatest experience ever, the best of my life, even more so than the World Cup in Namibia. I do not know if it is the atmosphere, or the air that we breathe, or the warmth of the people of Naples, but this is without a doubt the most exciting competition ever”. The eyes of Carlos Gonzalez Bambul, player from the Argentinian Rugby Sevens team, light up when he talks about the Universiade and Naples. “Diego is everywhere in this city, from the streets to the alleys, to the football chant that welcomed us so affectionately during the opening ceremony in San Paolo Stadium, the temple of Napoli Calcio and Maradona”. His team, also known as the “Albiceleste”, overcame the group stage at the former NATO base in Bagnoli and now aims at the semifinal after the match against Romania that took place on July 6^th: “We had to suffer a lot, beating the Romanians was not easy. However, we poured our hearts and passion into that match, and now we must give everything, do even better and think about the next useful and important result, scoring as many tries as we can. These final stages are full of strong players, all top-level and extremely worthy opponents”. Born in 1994 and enrolled in the Higher Institute of Physical Education, this is Gonzalez’s first time in Europe and Italy, which makes Naples the first European city he ever visited. He confirms the saying according to which Italians and Argentinians are “pueblos hermanos”, “peoples bound by brotherhood”: “This fraternal bond is felt even more in Naples”. “I dream of next year’s Tokyo Olympics, everyday I keep hoping and believing”, confesses the Argentinian athlete before leaving the field with his teammates, headed towards the tribune to attend the match of his fellow countrywomen, who were less lucky than their male colleagues in this competition (the Women’s rugby team from Argentina is, in fact, out of the tournament).