The Untold Truth Behind Maradona’s “Hand of God”
and the World Cup’s Most Controversial Match
I still remember exactly where I was on June 22, 1986. If you were in England that day, you probably do too. The house was packed—uncles, cousins, neighbours crowding around the TV, everyone holding their breath as the World Cup quarter-final between England and Argentina kicked off. It wasn’t just a football match. It was political, it was personal, and it felt like the whole country was willing the ball to bounce our way for once.
Then came that moment. The ball looped into the box, Maradona leapt, and for a split second, everything froze. We all saw it—his hand, the cheeky glance at the referee, the wild celebrations. The “Hand of God.” The room erupted, not with cheers but with outrage and disbelief. You could hear shouts from open windows up and down the street. Was it really possible, at this level, to get away with something so blatant? Maradona’s grin said it all. Even as we fumed, you had to admit, there was something audacious about it.
But honestly, after that first goal knocked the wind out of us, what happened next felt almost cruel. Watching Maradona pick up the ball in his own half and just dance through our entire team—there’s no other word for it—was unreal. I remember my dad, who barely reacted to anything on TV, just letting out this low whistle and saying, “That’s a different level.” Nobody spoke for a while. We all just watched, a bit awestruck, a bit gutted. In that moment, it didn’t even feel like a football match anymore. It was something else—pride, heartbreak, and the weird beauty of seeing something brilliant, even when it’s against you.
After the final whistle, nobody moved for ages. We sat there, picking over what we’d just seen, half in shock, half in admiration. In the days after, it was all anyone wanted to talk about—the injustice, the genius, the sense that football had just changed in front of our eyes. Maradona’s two goals—one so sly, one so spectacular—left England out of the World Cup, but they also left us with a story we’d be telling for the rest of our lives. If you were there, you know: some matches are impossible to forget.
ROYAL MAIL TRACKED 48
Published: June 22, 2026
Price: £24.99
Hardback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1836805205
Dimensions: 24 x 16 x 3 (cm)
