If you’ve had quite enough of football over the past week… stick with me.
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| Because this isn’t really a story about football. |
| It’s a story that starts with football… but quickly becomes a lesson in history, ethics, media, war, perspective and one very big question: |
Can something that’s undeniably wrong… also become legendary?
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| Today marks the 40th anniversary of a World Cup match that packed more drama into four minutes than most tournaments manage in four weeks. On June 22, 1986, Argentina’s Diego Maradona scored two goals against England. |
| The first became known as the ‘Hand of God.’ |
| The second became known as the ‘Goal of the Century.’ |
| They were scored just four minutes apart. |
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| The match itself was already carrying enormous emotional weight before a ball had even been kicked. |
| Just four years earlier, in 1982, Britain and Argentina had fought the Falklands War (known in Argentina as the Malvinas War) over a group of islands in the South Atlantic. The conflict lasted just 74 days, but around 900 people lost their lives, including 649 Argentinians and 255 British servicemen. |
| Although the war was over, the emotions certainly weren’t. So when England and Argentina met in the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup, it felt like much more than a game of football. For many supporters on both sides, it was a chance to restore pride. |
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| Leading Argentina onto the field was their brilliant captain, Diego Maradona. Already considered one of the greatest footballers of his generation, Maradona could do things with a football that seemed almost impossible. Quick, fearless and astonishingly skilful, he had the kind of talent that made defenders look like they were standing still. |
| What happened next would make him one of the most famous sportspeople in history… but maybe not for the reason you’d expect. |
| The moment that would be talked about for decades, came early in the second half when the ball looped high into England’s penalty area. Maradona raced towards it alongside England’s towering goalkeeper, Peter Shilton. |
| Shilton was nearly 20 centimetres taller than Maradona, so heading the ball seemed almost impossible. Instead, Maradona stretched up his arm and punched the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net. |
| The referee didn’t see the handball. |
| Neither did the linesman. |
| The goal was awarded. |
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| Maradona ‘Hand of God’ Goal 1986 World Cup |
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| England’s players protested furiously, but in 1986, there was no VAR to check the decision. Once the referee pointed to the centre circle, the goal stood. |
| After the match, Maradona famously joked that the goal had been scored “a little with the head of Maradona… and a little with the hand of God.” The nickname stuck, and today, it’s remembered as ‘The Hand of God’. For many football fans around the world, it was one of the clearest examples of cheating ever seen on a sporting field. |
| And then, just four minutes later, the same player who had fooled the referee, produced a goal so brilliant it has been replayed millions of times… Picking up the ball inside his own half, Maradona dribbled past five English players before slipping the ball into the net. It was a goal so extraordinary that FIFA later named it the ‘Goal of the Century.’ Argentina went on to win the match 2-1, and a week later lifted the World Cup trophy, with Maradona leading his country to victory. |
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| Maradona Goal of the Century – Víctor Hugo Morales commentary – Argentina-England 2-1 1986 |
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| Forty years later, those four unforgettable minutes are still being debated. And that’s where your classroom comes in. This is one of those stories that doesn’t have a single “correct” answer. Instead, it invites students to think, discuss and defend their opinions using evidence and empathy. |
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 Classroom Discussion
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| Tell this story to your students and watch the videos, then use these questions individually, as a think-pair-share activity, or as the basis for a classroom debate. |
 Remember
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- Why was the match between England and Argentina about more than just football?
- What were the two famous goals Maradona scored, and why are they remembered?
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 Understand
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- Why do you think people from different countries remember the “Hand of God” goal differently?
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 Apply
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- Imagine there was no video replay in your favourite sport today. Would that be a good or bad thing? What problems could that cause?
- Have you ever seen someone break a rule that nobody else noticed? What happened?
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 Analyse
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- Compare Maradona’s two goals. How were they different? How were they similar?
- Which do you think has had the bigger impact on football history? Explain your thinking.
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 Evaluate
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- Should history remember Maradona more for the “Hand of God” or the “Goal of the Century”? Support your opinion with reasons.
- Does knowing about the Falklands War change the way you think about the match? Why, or why not?
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 Create
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| Choose one: |
- Write a newspaper headline about the match from the perspective of an English newspaper and then from an Argentinian newspaper.
- Imagine VAR (video review) existed in 1986. Rewrite history. What changes?
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Squiz the World heads to Nepal
Coming soon…
And… watch this space!
