Genius or Villain? The Day Maradona Broke Every Rule to Win

On June 22nd, 1986, in the quarter-final of the World Cup, Diego Maradona did something no one had ever seen on that stage: he punched the ball into the net with his fist, in front of a hundred thousand people, and got away with it. Four minutes later, he scored what many still call the greatest goal in the history of football. Same afternoon. Same shirt. Same number 10. The biggest cheat in the game, and the greatest genius the sport had ever seen. This is the story of the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century — the Falklands War that loaded the match with meaning, the referee who never saw the handball, England's heartbreak, and why, almost forty years later, the world still can't decide whether Maradona was a villain or a genius. You decide which one he was. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cheat and genius, same afternoon 0:44 The war behind the game 1:21 Estadio Azteca, 1986 2:18 The Hand of God 2:49 "A little with the hand of God" 3:09 The Goal of the Century 4:10 Two goals, four minutes apart 4:35 England fights back 4:56 World champions 5:23 No regrets 5:51 Genius or villain?