The football-obsessed owners of an Argentinian restaurant have transformed the facade of their building with the blue and white stripes of their national side.
La Patagonia, in Camden High Street, also has the number 10 emblazoned on the exterior in honour of the country’s football icons Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. Despite the latter’s place as a villain in English football, for his “hand of God” goal in the Mexico 1986 World Cup, the owners say passers-by can’t get enough of the paint job, which took an entire weekend.
Chef Adrian Cocco, who is co-owner with his wife Lili, said: “People love the idea, they walk past and take pictures … It’s risky with the Maradona ‘hand of God’ incident — it might have upset some English fans — but there have been no complaints.”
The restaurant is full of football memorabilia, including a parody painting of Michelangelo’s The Creation Of Adam, featuring Messi and Maradona. It has been visited by several Argentinian footballers including former Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez.
