Diego Maradona Hand Of God: Did Diego Maradona use his hand?
Christopher Ramos
Published Jan 02, 2026
Diego Maradona Hand Of God
Argentine footballer Diego Maradona coined the phrase “the hand of God” to describe a goal he scored against England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match.
On June 22, 1986, the goal was scored in the Estadio Azteca (Aztec Stadium) in Mexico City during the FIFA 1986 quarter-final match between England and Argentina.
Diego Maradona remarked after the match that the goal was scored “a little with the head of Maradona, and a bit with the hand of God,” coining the name by which the goal has been known since.
Did Diego Maradona use his hand?
Maradona admitted on the television program La Noche del 10 in 2005, 19 years after scoring the controversial goal, that the goal was truly scored with his hand.
The news was carried by several international media sites, causing controversy.
Even Peter Shilton dismissed the apology, claiming that it was too late at this point. Maradona disputed everything a few days after the piece was published, claiming that the journal had misquoted him.
