The Hand of God
By Seth Frendel, Sports Writer
Throughout the history of soccer, the man famously known as Maradona is often regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Maradona’s leadership qualities on the field boosted his teammates’ performance levels and his presence alone struck fear into the opposition as soon as he stepped onto the field. Of all of his numerous awards and accolades, Maradona’s greatest achievement was when he led Argentina to capture the 1986 FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) World Cup. In the quarter-final matchup between Argentina and West Germany, Maradona would score what is perhaps the most significant goal in the history of soccer, celebrated throughout the soccer world. In England, however, Maradona’s goal would forever live in infamy.
The Goal
With the game tied 0-0 at the end of the first half, neither Argentina nor England had any sort of athletic edge heading into the second half of the game. Yet, in the 6th minute of the second half, Maradona dribbled the ball out of his team’s penalty box and initiated a sequence of moves that would lead to his infamous goal. After some back and forth action at midfield, the ball eventually made its way towards England’s goal and was sent flying into the air as Maradona got into position. Maradona leaped up and contested the ball with England’s goalkeeper, Peter Shilton, as it began its descent. With both Maradona and Shilton battling for the jump ball, Maradona punched the ball into England’s goal with his left hand. After a brief moment of indecision between the linesmen, the goal was awarded to Maradona, giving Argentina a 1-0 lead. The game would come to an end after Maradona scored yet another historic goal, resulting in Argentina’s 2-1 victory over England. After the game, Maradona said that the goal was scored “a little with his head, and a little with the hand of God.”