Maradona's "Hand of God" fooled more than one
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-06-22 17:37
HAND BALL!
Beating the nation that taught them the game has always been an Argentine
obsession.
In 1986, a packed Azteca including pockets of hard core fans from both sides
was watching an evenly balanced match when Maradona leapt to a poor, high
clearance and beat England keeper Peter Shilton to the ball, surreptitiously
punching it into the net with his fist.
My colleagues from Reuters were shocked when Maradona, pretending to have
headed the opening goal, ran off celebrating. The referee, pointing to the
centre spot, was surrounded by England players demanding a hand ball decision.
The press tribune high up in the third tier of the giant stadium and a long
way from the goal where Maradona scored immediately buzzed, hardly believing the
referee had missed the trick.
The Argentina captain described the goal afterwards to reporters as "un poco
con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios" (a little with the
head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God), coining one of the most
famous quotes in sport.
As there was no official translation of it, the "Hand of God" quote was
missed by non-Spanish reporters, some of whom later questioned later Maradona
had really said it.
England manager Bobby Robson, visibly upset in the post-match conference,
tried to temper his disillusion in defeat with his admiration for Maradona's
second, brilliant and ultimately decisive second goal in a 2-1 Argentina win.
Maradona's explanation has gone through endless mutations over the years and
is often misquoted. His original quote had him audaciously sharing the goal with
the source of his God-given talent.
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