1986 Hand of God

Lore & Background

The match was held four years after the end of the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, and was a key part of the already intense Argentina–England football rivalry. Maradona later said of the Hand of God goal: 'I knew it was my hand... It was a nice feeling like some sort of symbolic revenge against the English.' The rivalry is generally traced back to the 1966 World Cup quarter-final at Wembley, where Argentina captain Antonio Rattín was sent off and England manager Alf Ramsey called Argentina players 'animals'.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at the Azteca turned the night into a white-blue glare. Maradona stood at the edge of the box, chest heaving, his black-and-white stripes damp with sweat. The cross came in—Caniggia's delivery, looping high. He jumped. For a fraction of a second, time compressed: the ball, his hand, Shilton's outstretched fingers. The net rippled. The Argentine end of the stadium detonated into a roar that shook the concrete stands. Maradona landed, turned, and raised both arms in a gesture that was part celebration, part shrug, part prayer. He did not run to the corner flag. He simply stood there, letting the noise wash over him, knowing that in four minutes he would give them something no one could take away. The whistle had spoken. The God had struck.

Reader's Guide

Argentina beat Uruguay 1–0 in the round of 16 wearing blue cotton shirts. Coach Carlos Bilardo wanted lighter shirts for the quarter-final; with three days to go, staff member Ruben Moschella bought 38 blue shirts from a shop in Mexico City. Maradona chose the shirt, saying 'That’s a nice jersey. We’ll beat England in that.' AFA badges were sewn on, and silver American football shirt numbers were ironed on the backs. Before the match, fans from both countries brawled in the streets and into the stadium; several English fans were hospitalised and some flags were stolen by Argentine barra bravas.

Did You Know?

• Maradona was 8 inches (20 cm) shorter than England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, yet reached the ball first with his hand for the Hand of God goal.
• The Goal of the Century was a 60-yard, 10-second dash past four English outfield players (Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher twice, and Terry Fenwick) before feinting Shilton onto his bottom and slotting into an
• In 2002, the Goal of the Century was voted 'Goal of the Century' on the FIFA website, beating Michael Owen's 1998 goal against Argentina.
• Maradona won the Golden Ball as best player of the tournament; Gary Lineker, who scored England's goal, won the Golden Boot with six goals.