Craziest World Cup moments 3: Diego Maradona's Hand of God | OneFootball

“They’re appealing for offside but the ball came back off the boot of Steve Hodge,” said commentator Barry Davies.

So on first viewing, it was only referee Ali Bin Nasser, his assistant Bogdan Dotchev and the BBC who didn’t realise Diego Maradona had just produced the most controversial moment in World Cup, nay, football history.

“Now at what point was he offside?” Davies hesitantly mumbles. “Or was it a use of the hand that England are complaining about?”

One hundred and twenty seconds of bedlam followed. The blazing Mexico City sun belted down. Argentina had just gone 1-0 up in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final and nobody could quite believe what had just happened.

And then Davies cleared his throat: “There was little doubt that it was a hand that put the ball past the England goalkeeper.”

The German press agency DPA would call it “the scandal of the century”. Maradona called it “the hand of God”.

Argentina went on to win 2-1 and eventually lift the trophy after overcoming West Germany 3-2. It was Maradona’s tournament, and this, was Maradona’s ultimate game.