Who scored the “Hand of God” goal at the 1986 FIFA World Cup?

Diego Maradona scored the “Hand of God” goal at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Maradona scored the controversial goal for Argentina against England in the quarter-final on 22 June 1986 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. He used his left hand to direct the ball into the net, but the goal was allowed because the officials did not see the infringement. Maradona later described the goal as being scored “a little by the hand of God.”

Only minutes later, he scored a second goal in the same match after dribbling past several England players. That effort became known as the “Goal of the Century” in a FIFA internet poll. Argentina won 2–1 and advanced to the semi-finals.

The match carried extra emotional weight because Argentina and the United Kingdom had fought the Falklands War four years earlier. Argentina went on to win the tournament, defeating West Germany in the final.