On June 22, 1986, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Diego Maradona scored what remains the most infamous goal in football history.
In Argentina’s World Cup quarterfinal against England, the Argentine captain leapt with goalkeeper Peter Shilton and punched the ball into the net with his left hand. Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser allowed the goal, having missed the handball.
After the match, Maradona famously described it as “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”, giving the incident its enduring name.
In what is still regarded as one of the greatest goals of all time, against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Maradona dribbled past nearly half the England team before slotting the ball into the net. It was later voted the “Goal of the Century” by a FIFA poll. | Photo Credit: AFP
Four minutes later, he dribbled past five England players to score the “Goal of the Century”, meaning two of the greatest, and most controversial, World Cup goals arrived in the same match.
Argentina won 2-1 and went on to lift the World Cup. Maradona later admitted he had deliberately used his hand, calling it symbolic revenge in the shadow of the 1982 Falklands War.
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Published on Jul 15, 2026