Diego Maradona and “The Hand Of God”
Do yourself a favor: don’t ever talk to a person from England about the 1986 World Cup Quarterfinals, and especially don’t bring up the name of legendary soccer player Diego Maradona. In said match, towards the end of the first half, Maradona had passed the ball to teammate Jorge Valdano, which actually put him offsides on the play — a penalty that the officials missed in the game. But the missed call to come was far more egregious, when Maradona went to challenge English goalkeeper Peter Shilton on a ball that popped up right in front of the goal.
Maradona’s left fist hit the ball, causing it to go in the goal. But, no penalty was ever called by the referees for Maradona using his hands. When asked after the match about the missed call, Maradona famously said he scored the goal “a little with his head, and a little with the hand of God.”