England superfan Peter Robinson has returned to Mexico's Azteca stadium for the 2026 World Cup, 40 years after he was among 114,580 fans who witnessed Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal and 'Goal of the Century' in the same venue.
A Different Era: Tanks and Police Pick-ups
Peter, now 69, recalled the stark contrasts between 1986 and today. 'I remember there were even tanks outside the ground that day. It certainly was a different era. But after the game the Mexican police gave hundreds of England fans return lifts into the city in the back of official police pick-up trucks. I jumped in one. There were no seat belts or health and safety issues back then!'
The Sunderland supporter, from Hayes, Middlesex, was 29 when he flew to Mexico for what he calls his 'best World Cup of them all.' The match took place just four years after the Falklands War, yet Peter noted most Mexicans supported England. 'I remember most of the Mexicans actually supporting England that day. I’m not sure if they had some sort of rivalry with the Argentinians. They were very friendly. It will be different on Sunday.'
Memories of the 1986 Match
Peter, a retired British Airways ramp worker, described the atmosphere: 'There were probably around 4,000 England fans there – many from America, but most of the ground were Argentinian fans. It was a massive stadium back then with a lot of terracing and was very hot and humid.'
England had played at the Azteca four days earlier, beating Paraguay 3-0. The team stayed in Acapulco because Mexico City had been hit by a devastating earthquake six months earlier, leaving families living on the streets. 'It wasn't very nice,' Peter said.
Eleven World Cups and Counting
Peter has attended eleven World Cups, describing 1986 as his favourite, especially as he had tickets to every England game. Now, 40 years on, he is back at the Azteca hoping for a different result when England faces Mexico on Sunday.
He warned England fans to expect a cauldron of passion. Mexico fans celebrated their victory over Ecuador earlier this week with over a million taking to the streets, tragically resulting in four deaths. 'I don’t think England can win it, but I think we can make the quarter or semi finals. At least there won’t be any Maradona-style controversy now with VAR around. We didn’t even know it was handball until we got back to the hotel after the game – we assumed it was a header.'
