"The Hand of God" was a goal scored by footballer Diego Maradona during the Argentina v. England quarter finals match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The goal was illegal under association football rules because Maradona used his hand to score. But this was three decades before the use of video assistant referee, or VAR, in soccer. There was no way to review. The referee’s vision was blocked, and he looked to the linesman for guidance; but the linesman saw nothing wrong, and the goal was allowed to stand. Watch it HERE.
The goal gave Argentina a 1-0 lead. Argentina went on to win 2-1, with Maradona scoring a second goal known as the "Goal of the Century", en route to claiming the World Cup. Watch that goal HERE.
Speaking after the game, Maradona told reporters that the goal was scored “un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios”, or in the English translation, “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”. The phrase stuck, and with it the legend of the goal.
Maradona later said he considered the goal to be "symbolic revenge" for the United Kingdom's victory over Argentina in the Falklands War four years earlier.
There’s quite a bit of history there. The English invaded Buenos Aires twice, in 1806 and 1807; and, in 1832, the English seized Las Malvinas, which they renamed the Falkland Islands, along with all the property of the Argentines who were living there.
Ivan Lopez-Muniz writing in Howler Magazine in 2017 remarks that in Argentina the "entire nation", including the Government and the Argentine Football Association, still "praises the most blatant act of cheating ever caught on tape", partly because "Argentines are humans, and humans are hypocrites" but also because of the long history of grievances against the United Kingdom, that includes not only matters of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and the 1982 Falklands War; but other matters relating to football, such as England manager Alf Ramsay calling the Argentine players “animals” after Argentine Captain Antonio Rattín was sent off against England in the 1966 World Cup. Football fans have very long memories.
The legacy of "Hand of God" has extended beyond the realm of football, and notably includes Maradona's influence on 1980s Naples.
Deeply Catholic Neapolitans have always revered their patron saints. For example, San Gennaro, who died as a martyr in 305 CE, is believed to have answered people's prayers in 1631, halting the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and saving Naples from destruction.
However, San Gennaro now has some serious competition from Maradona who, Neapolitans say, has helped the city shed its inferiority complex vis a vis the north. In 1984, and to the surprise of many, Maradona chose Naples over more established and wealthier northern Italian options, as the club he would play for post a tumultuous two year stint playing with FC Barcelona.
Since his death in 2020 at the age of 60, the legendary Argentinian footballer has virtually become a new city saint, aided by the fact that he led SSC Napoli to the Italian championship twice. In the tradition-steeped Via San Gregorio Armeno in the heart of the old part of Naples, you can buy figures of the footballer in all possible sizes, frequently adorned with the wings of an angel.
In the context of this story, they would appear to be appropriate appendages.
Story Idea: Remo Giuffré
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/The_hand_of_God
espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37470612/diego-maradona-hand-god-goal-proved-cheating-not-always-immoral
theconversation.com/why-maradonas-hand-of-god-goal-is-priceless-and-unforgettable
theculturetrip.com/europe/italy/articles/how-maradona-changed-naples-forever
dailysabah.com/life/religion/hand-of-god-neapolitan-saints-receive-competition-from-maradona
Images
1. The moment when Diego Maradona flicks the ball with the hand past the outstretched arm of English goal keeper Peter Shilton
2. Diego Maradona holding the FIFA World Cup trophy after winning the 1986 FIFA World Cup final against West Germany
3. Video: The "Hand of God" goal against England
4. Video: The subsequent "Goal of the Century" against England
5. Falklands War Map. Credit: Stephen Luscombe for britishempire.co.uk
6. Newsweek magazine cover, 19 April 1982: "The Empire Strikes Back"
7. A mural showing Maradona on a street in Naples, Italy, November 2021
8. Maradona trinkets for sale in the centre of Naples
