I Was There: I Saw Maradona's 'Hand of God' and 'Goal of the Century' at the World Cup Argentina Won 40 Years Ago

The roar of the crowd at the Estadio Azteca was deafening, but for a 17-year-old attending her first football match, the spectacle was more about the vibrant atmosphere than the sport itself. It was June 22, 1986, and a chance encounter with her father secured her a ticket to witness a pivotal moment in World Cup history: Argentina versus England.

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I had never been to a stadium and didn't even care about the sport, but by a stroke of luck, I ended up watching Diego Armando Maradona score two of the most famous goals in football history against England.

Initially, the young attendee was more focused on the "Mexican wave" and the international mix of fans than the scoreless first half. However, the game's narrative dramatically shifted six minutes into the second half. A high ball contested between England's goalkeeper Peter Shilton and Argentina's Diego Maradona ignited a chaotic scene. Maradona leaped, seemingly to head the ball, but it struck his hand and found the net. What would become known as the "Hand of God" goal sparked immediate debate within the stadium, with Argentinians and Latin Americans defending Maradona against the furious protests of the English.

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For a second there was celebration... and then confusion, arguments, noise growing in different directions.

Forty years on, the memory of that day remains indelible. The author, who had dressed for the occasion as if for a party, was swept up in the passion and controversy. The match, played amidst the lingering tension from the 1982 Falklands War, became a symbol of national pride and sporting infamy, forever etching Maradona's name into football lore.

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The episode would go down in history as the 'Hand of God,' but that day, inside the stadium, people were debating: was it with the head or with the hand?