The Hand of God is the goal Diego Maradona scored with his hand against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, four minutes before he scored the Goal of the Century in the same match. First came the handball and the question of why it stood, then the second goal, and then a win that meant far more than a place in the semifinals.
Both goals came on June 22, 1986, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, and Argentina won 2-1 on its way to the title. Maradona’s name belongs on any list of the best soccer players of all time, and this is the afternoon that explains why.
What was the Hand of God goal?
The short answer
A handball is the offense of playing the ball with the hand or arm, for any player but a goalkeeper in his own area, and this one unfolded in four steps.
- England’s Steve Hodge sent an awkward clearance back into his own box.
- Maradona and the goalkeeper, Peter Shilton, jumped for it.
- Maradona put it in with his left hand.
- The goal was given, the assistant heading back to the center as if confirming it.
Afterward, Maradona said the goal was scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”
Why did the Hand of God goal stand?
The goal stood because the referee and his assistant did not see the handball, and no video review existed in 1986. Three accounts, from the officials and from Maradona himself, explain why.
- The referee, Ali Bin Nasser of Tunisia, stood about 30 yards away and said he thought it was a header; he waited for a signal from his assistant that never came.
- The rules of 1986 allowed no video review, and the assistant, Bogdan Dochev of Bulgaria, later said assistants were not allowed to discuss a decision with the referee.
- The truth came out in August 2005, when Maradona admitted on his own television show that he had punched the ball deliberately.
Four minutes later, Maradona scored again, and nobody missed that one.
What was the Goal of the Century?
The Goal of the Century is the second goal Maradona scored in the same quarterfinal, four minutes after the Hand of God, carried from inside his own half past England’s players before he finished. Five England players tried to stop him, in this order.
| Order | What he did | Who he beat |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Took the ball in his own half and turned | Peter Beardsley and Peter Reid |
| 2 | Carried it on at speed | Terry Butcher |
| 3 | Went past the last defender | Terry Fenwick |
| 4 | Rounded the goalkeeper and scored | Peter Shilton |
England’s defenders came at him one after another, and one after another they were gone. The whole run took about 11 seconds, by FIFA’s account. In 2002, fans voting on FIFA’s website chose it as the Goal of the Century from among the best World Cup goals.
Why did Argentina against England matter in 1986?
Argentina and Britain had fought a war over the Falkland Islands (the Malvinas) from April 2 to June 14, 1982, four years earlier, so the quarterfinal carried meaning far beyond the tournament. For the wider story of the trophy both teams chased that summer, World Cup history and winners has every champion. Argentina went through 2-1, and two games now stood between Maradona and the title.
How did Argentina win the 1986 World Cup?
Argentina beat West Germany 3-2 in the final at the Estadio Azteca on June 29, 1986. Maradona scored both goals in each of the two rounds before the final.
| Round | Opponent and score | Maradona’s part |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal | England, 2-1 | Both goals |
| Semifinal | Belgium, 2-0 | Both goals |
| Final | West Germany, 3-2 | The pass for Jorge Burruchaga’s winner |
Jorge Burruchaga scored the winner in the final, from Maradona’s pass. The following season, Maradona won Napoli the first league title in the club’s history.
What happened to Maradona after 1986?
Maradona stayed at Napoli and won the club its first two league titles, played two more World Cups, and died of heart failure at home near Tigre, north of Buenos Aires, on November 25, 2020. The rest ran through Naples, Rome and two positive tests.
- Napoli won Serie A in 1987 and 1990, and the UEFA Cup in 1989.
- The 1990 World Cup final ended 1-0 to West Germany in Rome on July 8, 1990.
- A positive cocaine test after a Napoli match in March 1991 brought a 15-month ban; a positive ephedrine test after the June 25 match against Nigeria ended his 1994 World Cup.
- The shirt, swapped with Steve Hodge, sold in May 2022 for 7.1 million pounds, then the highest auction price for sports memorabilia; the ball, kept by the referee, sold in 2022 and again in August 2026 for 3.3 million dollars.
Maradona’s place in the greatest of all time debate is yours to settle.
Did Maradona apologize for the Hand of God?
The short answer
Would VAR have disallowed the Hand of God?
The short answer
