The Story of the 1986 World Cup — Maradona's Tournament

No player has ever dominated a World Cup the way Diego Maradona dominated Mexico 1986. He scored five goals and made five more in seven matches. He was voted Player of the Tournament — the only possible choice. And in the quarter-final against England on 22 June 1986 in Mexico City, he scored both the most controversial goal and the greatest goal in World Cup history, four minutes apart.

This was his tournament. It will always be.

The Background — Colombia's Abandoned Tournament

The 1986 World Cup was originally awarded to Colombia. Colombia withdrew in 1982, citing financial difficulties. Mexico stepped in and hosted for the second time, having also hosted in 1970. The tournament was held in June and early July in stadiums at high altitude and in intense heat — conditions that tested every team's physical capacity and rewarded the technically gifted above the physically dominant.

Argentina's Path to the Final

Argentina had won the World Cup in 1978 but had been disappointing in Spain in 1982, where Maradona was sent off against Brazil. In Mexico, under manager Carlos Bilardo, they were built around one principle: give Maradona the ball and let him do what only he could do.

It worked because Maradona was, in those three weeks, playing at a level that transcended normal footballing analysis. His balance, close control, vision, and finishing were operating at a frequency that other players simply could not access. He was unstoppable when he wanted to be. And in Mexico 1986, he wanted to be unstoppable in every match.

22 June 1986 — The Match Against England

Argentina versus England in the quarter-final. The Falklands War had ended four years earlier. There was no physical threat — the match was football — but the atmosphere was charged with something beyond sport. Both sets of supporters understood the context.

The first half was tense and goalless. In the second half, in the 51st minute, Maradona and Steve Hodge contested a high ball in the England penalty area. Maradona reached it first — with his left hand, punching it into the net past Peter Shilton. The referee, badly positioned, awarded the goal. The England players surrounded him in protest. It made no difference.

Afterwards, Maradona said the goal had been scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." The phrase entered the language permanently.

Four minutes later, Maradona collected the ball just inside his own half, turned, and began to run. He beat Peter Reid. He beat Peter Beardsley. He beat Peter Reid again, who had recovered. He beat Terry Fenwick. He beat Terry Butcher. He rounded Peter Shilton and scored. The run covered sixty metres and beat five outfield players and the goalkeeper. It took ten seconds.

England pulled one back through Gary Lineker — who won the Golden Boot at the tournament. It was not enough. Argentina won 2-1.

Maradona scored twice more — against Belgium in the semi-final — and set up both goals in the final as Argentina came from 2-0 down to beat West Germany 3-2. He lifted the trophy. It was, beyond any reasonable argument, the greatest individual World Cup performance in history.

Gary Lineker — England's Best

England's 1986 campaign, despite the quarter-final exit, produced one of the finest individual Golden Boot performances the tournament has seen. Gary Lineker scored six goals — including a hat-trick against Poland — and won the award. He was fast, intelligent in his movement, clinical in front of goal, and operated within a system that did not always serve him well. He remains the finest England centre-forward of the post-Hurst generation.

The Legacy

The 1986 World Cup is remembered above all else for those four minutes in Mexico City. The Hand of God and the Goal of the Century — inseparable, occurring in the same match, scored by the same player. No other World Cup has been defined so completely by a single individual, a single match, a single hour of football.

Shop the Maradona 10 Shirt Frame Hoodie and browse the full Argentina collection at Players Couture. Also explore our Classic World Cup Sticker Icons collection.