Published April 14, 2026
The childhood home of Argentine soccer legend and late president Javier Millei has been converted into a soup kitchen serving people affected by the president’s austerity policies.
At 523 Calle Amazor in the Buenos Aires suburb of Fiorito, where the “Golden Boy” experienced extreme poverty, local residents are now receiving food and clothing assistance.
Home to around 50,000 residents living in modest brick homes, the area is filled with murals commemorating the career of the iconic number 10, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 60.
Maradona’s childhood community continues his legacy of compassion as a criminal negligence trial begins on Tuesday against the seven-member medical team responsible for his final care after brain surgery.
As cumbia music, Maradona’s preferred genre, plays in the background, neighbors visit Diego’s house with containers filled with chicken stew and other meals prepared by volunteers in cauldrons in the garden.
“Diego would say we have to help because there is a lot of hunger, because the hunger is so great,” explained Diego Gavilan, a beneficiary of the kitchen’s services.
Gavilan, who collects cardboard and scrap metal, started going to the soup kitchen after Millais implemented sweeping free-market reforms after the December 2023 election.
“You can’t make ends meet,” Gavilan points out.
Household finances remain at risk, according to a central bank report, despite statistics showing that poverty has declined under Millais, mainly due to lower inflation. More than 20,000 businesses have closed due to increased imports and sharp decline in consumption.
Gavilan was grateful for the support from Maradona’s former home, saying: “He suffered from severe hunger here as a child. It’s special for people in the neighborhood to receive a plate of food.”
This facility is open without any dining facilities. Volunteers prepare food on a bonfire in the garden and distribute it in bags to people waiting at the entrance.
Maradona often spoke of his humble origins in an area with no running water or paved roads. Sixty-six years after his birth, the pain still remains on the faces of those lining up for food.
“People are starving,” said Maria Torres, one of the center’s cooks, who believes Maradona would agree to convert his childhood home into a charity project.
