The hand of God
Association football goal scored by Diego Maradona
Why this is trending
Interest in “The hand of God” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-18.
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Key Takeaways
- " The Hand of God " (Spanish: La mano de Dios ) is the name given to the controversial and illegal opening goal awarded to Argentine footballer Diego Maradona during Argentina's victory over England in a quarter-final match at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
- Four minutes after the goal gave Argentina a 1–0 lead in the quarter-final game, Maradona scored a second goal called the "Goal of the Century".
- The goal's name derives from Maradona's initial response when asked whether he scored it legally.
- Later, Maradona acknowledged he had illegally handled the ball, saying he considered the goal "symbolic revenge" for the United Kingdom's defeat of Argentina in the 1982 Falklands War.
- Valdano tried to take on several English defenders, but the ball was intercepted, thrown back and forth, and kicked toward England's goal by English midfielder Steve Hodge.
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Source summary
Wikipedia"The Hand of God" (Spanish: La mano de Dios) is the name given to the controversial and illegal opening goal awarded to Argentine footballer Diego Maradona during Argentina's victory over England in a quarter-final match at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The goal was allowed to stand because none of the match referees could see Maradona using his left hand to score. Four minutes after the goal gave Argentina a 1–0 lead in the quarter-final game, Maradona scored a second goal called the "Goal of the Century". Argentina won the match 2–1 en route to winning their second World Cup.
The goal's name derives from Maradona's initial response when asked whether he scored it legally. He said it was "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God". Later, Maradona acknowledged he had illegally handled the ball, saying he considered the goal "symbolic revenge" for the United Kingdom's defeat of Argentina in the 1982 Falklands War.
Six minutes into the second half of the quarter-final game, Maradona took the ball out of the box with his left leg and passed it to teammate Jorge Valdano. Valdano tried to take on several English defenders, but the ball was intercepted, thrown back and forth, and kicked toward England's goal by English midfielder Steve Hodge.
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