The football used by Diego Maradona to score the famed “Hand of God” goal that eliminated England from the 1986 World Cup is on display in the UK ahead of a November 16 World Cup-themed auction.
Diego Maradona : Hand of God | Mural | Death date
Diego Armando Maradona was an Argentine professional football player and manager.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award.
Maradona’s vision, passing, ball control, and dribbling skills were combined with his small stature, which gave him a low centre of gravity allowing him to manoeuvre better than most other players.
His presence and leadership on the field had a great effect on his team’s general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition. In addition to his creative abilities, he possessed an eye for goal and was known to be a free kick specialist.
A precocious talent, Maradona was given the nickname “El Pibe de Oro” (“The Golden Boy”), a name that stuck with him throughout his career. He also had a troubled off-field life and was banned in both 1991 and 1994 for abusing drugs.
Diego Maradona Hand of God
“The hand of God” was a handling goal scored by Argentine footballer Diego Maradona during the Argentina v England quarter finals match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
The goal was illegal under association football rules due to Maradona using his hand, but because the referees did not have a clear view of the play and video assistant referee technology did not exist, it stood to give Argentina a 1–0 lead.
https://youtu.be/0bBB4UBHgKE
Argentina went on to win 2–1, with Maradona scoring a second goal known as the “Goal of the Century”, in the route to claiming the World Cup.
The goal’s name derives from Maradona’s initial response on whether he scored it illegally, stating it was made with “a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God”.
Maradona later said he considered the goal to be “symbolic revenge” for the United Kingdom’s victory over Argentina in the Falklands War four years earlier.
The auctioneer tasked with selling Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball says “almost anything’s possible” when the item goes under the hammer in just over two weeks’ time.
An estimate of £2.5-£3million has been placed on the ball, with which Argentina captain Maradona scored two unforgettable goals to knock England out of the 1986 World Cup.
Diego maradona mural
Tributes from across the globe have poured in for Diego Maradona on what would have been his 62nd birthday on Sunday.
Maradona passed away in November 2020 at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack.
With World Cup 2022 less than a month away, with Argentina as one of the favourites, the hopes of the nation are pinned on Lionel Messi, who will be hoping to lead the side to its first World Cup win since 1986, which belonged to Maradona.
Maradona scored five goals and five assists, leading Argentina to crowning glory and cementing his place in the pantheon of sporting greatness.
Among the tributes was a mural painted on a plane by Argentinian artist Maximiliano Bagnasco.
“Since he passed everybody started asking me to paint Diego. I painted the Maradona sanctuary at his club Argentinos Juniors and then I painted murals that became viral. Then I put on this exhibition of Diego images and media from all over the world covered it. Then I painted the airplane and everyone talked about it,” Bagnasco told Al Jazeera.
Death date
On 2 November 2020, Maradona was admitted to a hospital in La Plata, supposedly for psychological reasons. A representative of the ex-footballer said his condition was not serious.
A day later, he underwent emergency brain surgery to treat a subdural hematoma.
He was released on 12 November after successful surgery and was supervised by doctors as an outpatient.
And on 25 November, 2020, at the age of 60, Maradona suffered cardiac arrest and died in his sleep at his home in Dique Luján, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.