Diego Maradona was, of course, referring to the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal he scored at the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals against England, when he deliberately used his left hand to knock the ball into the goal.
England goalkeeper Peter Shilton and the rest of his teammates indulged in furious protest over the goal, but the referee allowed it to stand.
In an incredible redemptive arc, however, Maradona would score one of the greatest solo goals of all time later on in the game, as he dribbled past the entire team to slot the ball past Shilton and make it 2-0 on the night.
England got a late consolation goal through Gary Lineker, but Argentina progressed in the tournament.
Argentina then went on to beat Belgium and West Germany in the semi-finals and finals respectively to lift the World Cup trophy.
‘Diego Maradona better than Lionel Messi’ - Pele
Despite the GOAT debate in football revolving around Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi nowadays, legendary Brazilian footballer Pele is of the mind that Maradona and him are better than the current crop.
Speaking in a 2018 interview with AS, Pele claimed that Maradona was a more complete player than Lionel Messi, as he could use both feet and head the ball.
Pele was also of the mind that Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo was better than Lionel Messi, but Maradona differed in his assessment of the duo.
Speaking to Argentine television channel TyC Sports, Maradona mentioned that he still ‘preferred’ Lionel Messi despite his admiration of the ‘animal’ that Cristiano Ronaldo is.
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