Diego maradona hand of god goal

Association football goal scored by Diego Maradona

For other uses, see Hand of God (disambiguation).

"The hand of God" (Spanish: La mano de Dios) was a 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 because Maradona used his hand to score. The referees did not have a clear view of the play and allowed the goal to stand. The goal gave Argentina a 1–0 lead. Argentina went on to win 2–1, with Maradona scoring a second goal known as the "Goal of the Century", en 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 "a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God". Maradona eventually acknowledged he had illegally handled the ball, stating that he considered the goal to be "symbolic revenge" for the United Kingdom