The England stars of the 1986 World Cup have admitted they cannot 'forgive and forget' the Hand of God goal, which became the most infamous in football history. Diego Maradona quipped that the goal was “a little with the head of Maradona, a little with the hand of God” before scoring one of the greatest World Cup goals ever as Argentina won 2-1 in the Azteca Stadium to clinch an epic quarter-final.
Shilton: Officials let us down
Three Lions goalkeeper Peter Shilton, England's most capped player of all time with 125 appearances, told BBC Radio 4: "The Hand of God goal is the most infamous in football for all the wrong reasons. I knew he had hand balled it." He added: "I have people saying, 'Why didn't you knock him out of the way?' That is a bit annoying, but it was my job to clear it, not to give penalties away. Really, we were let down by officials, it is as simple as that."
Shilton also commented on the current England team: "For the young players, they will realise the history, they will have read about it. But history is history. For these players, they have the chance to get to the final, and that will be a dream come true." He dismissed political songs from Argentina, saying: "I have always believed that politics has no place in sport. I know Argentina sang their song after the last game. I don't think they should do that, I don't think they should stir things up."
Butcher: Goal still sticks in my throat
Former England defender Terry Butcher, 67, admitted he still cannot bear to watch Maradona's first goal. Speaking to the Mirror at the screening of his TV documentary in London, he said: "I hate watching that goal now. It really sticks in my throat how he did it." Butcher recalled a TV interview before the tournament: "I was asked what I was going to do in Mexico and I said 'kick him'." He praised the current England side for handling modern pressure, having just had lunch with former teammate Peter Reid.
Lineker's goal and the aftermath
England fought back with an 81st-minute goal from Gary Lineker, which won him the tournament's Golden Boot for top scorer. But Argentina went on to win the World Cup. Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who sold the match ball for £2 million four years ago, said: "I couldn't see the incident clearly, Shilton and Maradona were facing me from behind. As per FIFA instructions, I looked to my linesman for confirmation of the validity of the goal. He made his way back to the halfway line indicating he was satisfied that the goal should stand. At the end of the match the England head coach Bobby Robson said to me: 'You did a good job but the linesman was irresponsible'."
Reid: We all felt it really badly
Ex-England midfielder Peter Reid, 70, who tried to stop Maradona's second goal, is now raising money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. He told the Mirror: "Peter Shilton and Terry Butcher cannot forgive Maradona. We all felt it really badly because losing in that manner hurt."
