Moments
No player has ever dominated a tournament as wholly as Diego Armando Maradona managed in 1986, taking a workmanlike Argentina to their second World Cup title. How he did it is encapsulated in his two goals against England in the quarter finals; the first a masterclass in the art of deception - he cheated - and the second, simply a masterclass. They were the moments that made him an icon.
Had the diminutive Argentine not gone on to score that goal against England, his effort to see off a talented Belgian side would probably have gone down in his history as his piece de resistance.
Johan Neeskens famously observed after losing to hosts Argentina in the 1978 final that “if we had won, we would not have left the stadium alive.” He may have been thankful then that Johan Cruyff, for either political or domestic reasons, refused to travel to South America, leaving the likes of Arie Haan and Robbie Rensenbrink – rated as better than Cruyff by some – to help Holland go close, again.
Some say it was 26 passes. Some say it was 25. Some say it was 24. I think the higher numbers include either the initial tackle or the actual finish or both. I say it doesn’t matter which number you choose, because Argentina’s second goal vs Serbia & Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup was something special. It was Esteban Cambiasso on the scoresheet, but this was a goal that belonged to the whole team.
For many, the first thing that comes to mind when mentioning the 1986 FIFA World Cup match up between England and Argentina is the infamous “Hand of God” goal. However, the goal that Diego Maradona scored exactly four minutes later is just as memorable and was such a great example of soccer perfection that not only is it usually referred to as the 'Goal of the Century' but it made it hard for even the most distressed and angry England fans to deny that they were watching a soccer demi-god in action.
Doubts have been raised over Argentina's World Cup success in 1978
Maradona holds the World Cup aloft at Mexico's Azteca Stadium in 1986. The Argentine legend and perpetrator of the Hand of God' has expressed his desire to repeat Franz Beckenbauer's feat of winning the competition as both player and coach.
You cannot fault a guy who takes a cross on his chest, and volleys the rebound into the top far corner from outside the penalty area, while turning in mid air. The entire thing took less than 5 seconds, but such is its brilliance that it should win the goal of the tournament award (although knowing FIFA the Cambiasso goal will probably edge it). Definitely the hardest goal to pull off.
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