JAKARTA The 1986 World Cup of Mexico will always be remembered for the unique events of Gol Hand of God'' carried out by Argentine superstar Diego Maradona. The player, nicknamed El Pibe de Oro or the Golden Boy, threw the ball into the England goal with his hand, tricking goalkeeper Peter Sarjanton as well as Tunisian referee Ali Bennaceur. The Argentine vs England match was held at the Azteca Stadium, Mexico City on June 22, 1986.
The controversial goal in the 51st minute was Argentina's opener to England's 2-1 win in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico. Four minutes after the controversial goal, Maradona again struck the ball into the home goal. Through an extraordinary shot from the middle of the field, Maradona outwitted five England players before making him have to pick up the ball again from inside the net.
England was only able to reply to one goal with the spearhead of Gary Lineker in the 81st minute. A 2-1 win over England took Argentina to the semifinals to meet Belgium. Diego Maradona's contribution in the semifinals was also extraordinary, as he scored two goals against Belgium which Jean Marie Pfaff guarded in the 51st minute and 63rd. Argentina advanced to the final to meet West Germany.
In the Argentine final the 3-2 win through goals Jose Luis Brown (32), Jorge Valdano (55), and Jorge Burruchaga (83). Meanwhile, two goals from West Germany were scored by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (70) and Rudi Voller (80). Argentina has the right to win the World Cup for the second time, after 1978 also became champions at home.
Back to the matter of Gol Hand of God', Diego Maradona said that the controversial act was purely due to his instincts. He never regretted his actions which were considered fraudulent, because the goal was approved by the referee.
"At that time I was out of position compared to Kuyaton. I had no choice but to reach the ball with what I could, and I couldn't hold back that desire. I didn't realize my action, and he knew it because the England defender told him. I saw the linesman and the referee, and it turned out they approved the goal," Maradona said in an interview with the BBC.
For me, that action is not cheating. It was a hard effort, a trick to win the game. We had the opportunity to do that, and I was obliged to finish it," Maradona said again.
Diego Maradona always plays with coal on his chest, which then ignites so many forms of deception in today's football. His controversial action in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup raised the creativity of footballers around the world to develop play techniques that are often unexpected and out of the standard.
In the future, the relic of Diego Maradona's hand is proven to be a useful legacy for life. The ball and t-shirt that Maradona used when scoring a controversial goal was sold at a very expensive price, which was also used for social action.
Adidas' official 1986 World Cup ball with the name Azteca in the Maradona boxer to trick him, sold for 3 million pounds sterling or almost Rp56 billion. Likewise with the blue shirt number 10 worn by Diego Maradona. The shirt sells for 7.1 million pounds sterling, or Rp132 billion.
The shirt was previously in the hands of former England defender Steve Hodge because he exchanged t-shirts with Maradona after the 1986 World Cup quarter-final match Mexico. Hodge once said that the t-shirt would not be sold. But when Sotheby's Auction Hall offered Hodge an incredible price, he also melted. Diego Maradona's t-shirt price was recorded as the most expensive memorabilia of sport in history.
After all, Diego Maradona will always be remembered as one of the greatest footballers in the world. The superstar who died in Buenos Aires on November 25, 2020, aged 60 as a result of the heart attack, became an extraordinary inspiration for football fans around the world.
As a professional footballer, Diego Maradona has played a total of 491 matches at six different clubs: Argentinos Juniors (Argentina), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Barcelona (Spain), Napoli (Italy), Sevilla (Spain), and returned to Argentina to strengthen Newells Old Boys then Boca Juniors at the end of his career. Of the 491 matches he played, as many as 259 goals he scored.
Diego Maradona's work in the Argentina national team was carried out by playing 91 games, scoring 34 goals. His name was immortalized in three stadiums, namely in Buenos Aires and La Plata (Argentina) and one in Napoli (Italy). Six documentary films about him have also been produced, plus two television series Maradona in Mexico (2019) and Maradona: Blessed Dream (2021).
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