Jorge Zarura was born in Córdoba, Argentina, 67 years ago. The same city where Mario Alberto Kempes was born a couple of springs before. The twists and turns of life led the former’s daughter to settle in Valencia. A city to which … He went on several occasions to see his daughter.
Two months ago he set out again from Córdoba to Valencia. One more time. But on this occasion something was going to make this an unforgettable visit. «I am a painter, art is in my blood. Each one communicates in a way: the dancers with the dance, the sculptors with the sculpture… and I with the painting. So I grabbed a small easel that I have and I went to Don Juan de Austria, which is a very busy street to paint. During the first days he drew the attention, especially of the younger ones, to portraits that he had of Messi, Maradona. “I thought that being in Valencia, maybe painting a Kempes would be good because it wouldn’t be strange if someone passed by who still remembered it,” he explains. And so it was: “On the third day a man passed by, José Riquelme, who saw the portrait, liked it and asked me if I could compose one with the Argentina shirt and so I did.” This last painting, by the way, was for the journalist and collaborator of LAS PROVINCIAS, Paco Lloret, which he left at the Chebaires restaurant in Valencia.
That was a key moment. The word spread among the Valencian fans and after one order another arrived. «In one week I have done 10. I am very happy because they showed me the love and respect they have for a person like Kempes, for us, those of us who love football in my country there are Kempes, Maradona and Messi… and on the other hand it comforts me that they value my work. “I leave my heart in every portrait I make,” says Zarura.
The man from Córdoba, who also played soccer in his youth, draws parallels between soccer stars and artists: “I think they all have some magic. The three of them were different because they did things that no one expected, there is the art, the emotion and that is also what artists try to convey. In everything I do I put a little of my life.
Zarura always encouraged the “humble” teams, although he is a “fan” of a team from his city, he prefers “Boca to River” and although it is true that he has a certain sympathy for Messi towards Barça, Valencia increasingly wins his heart: «Last year I was in Mestalla, I went to see the tour and also a match against Granada. The truth is I really liked it. “I discovered history that I didn’t know, for example that Di Stéfano was also very loved here.” Through his visit to the old stadium as well as the conversations in recent days with Valencian fans, he has witnessed the mark left by footballers who are already legends such as Piojo López, Kily González, Pablo Aimar or Ayala.
