England vs Argentina: The Bitter World Cup Rivalry That Began With Maradona’s Hand of God

Although a place in the final is at stake, this match has a long history of incidents and memorable moments that go beyond football.

The rivalry culminated at the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup in Mexico in 1986 when Diego Maradona scored two goals in four minutes. One was named the “Goal of the Century,” and the other became renowned as the “Hand of God”, a divisive event in the world of football that took place almost 40 years ago.

The ‘Hand of God’ That Changed Everything

With the score locked at 0-0, Maradona challenged England goalkeeper Peter Shilton for a looping ball inside the box. Instead of heading it, the Argentine captain punched it into the net with his left hand. Referee Ali Bin Nasser failed to spot the infringement and awarded the goal.

England defender Trevor Steven, who was closest to the incident, later admitted that Maradona had fooled everyone on the field.

“He completely bamboozled me,” Steven recalled, explaining that from his angle it genuinely looked like Maradona had headed the ball. Maradona later famously described the goal as being scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”

Just minutes later, Maradona dribbled past five England players before beating Shilton to score what many consider the greatest World Cup goal ever. Argentina won 2-1 and eventually lifted the trophy.

Why Is The Rivalry So Fierce?

Despite football being the focal point of the rivalry, it is evident that football is no more than a pretext to the battle of emotions. The roots of the tensions between the countries date back to 1966, when, during the quarterfinal match at the World Cup, Argentina’s Rattin was sent off unexpectedly. This event was very painful for Argentina as England managed to take the victory, keeping the score 1:0 and later becoming the World Champions.

However, the event of 1986 took place only four years after the Falklands conflict between Great Britain and Argentina gained its political and emotional significance. In fact, Maradona admitted that the victory over England meant a lot to the people of Argentina.

The fierce competition between the two nations modernized in 1998 when David Beckham was shown a red card for kicking Diego Simeone during their Round of 16 encounter. Following that, England lost the match in penalties.

In 2002, Beckham achieved his glory scoring the decisive penalty, securing England’s victory over Argentina with the score of 1-0 in the group game of the World Cup.

England vs Argentina World Cup Meetings

Now, the upcoming encounter in Atlanta on Wednesday will mark the 6th time the two countries will meet in the World Cup. Messi hopes for another World Cup success while England wants to overcome the trauma it has faced for many decades.