Im not realy sure about how bad the goal was but the worst part was after the goal was scored. because if england would have won the game it would never get a second thought. But the part of the the situation that made it the worst was about 10 minutes after "he hand of god". When maradona recieved a pass on his own half of the pitch turned beat the entire english defense for the game winning goal which also happens to be the best goal in history. And the whole reason that it is called or refered to as the hand of god is because in maradonas mind he was "meant to score that goal". And therefore he stated that it was a little bit his head and a little bit the hand of god. so he was saying that his hand was put upon the ball by god because he was "MEANT TO SCORE THAT GOAL".
Players use their hands to gain an advantage. It happens. Players dive and cheat, it happens. But to realize why people despise Maradona so, ask yourself this. Would (insert your own favorite player, or any all-time great, Pele, Cruyff, etc.) ____________ have ran to the corner flag and DANCED to celebrate a goal like Maradona did after punching it in the net? Hell no. Did _______________ ever get kicked out of a World Cup for having FIVE different types of ephedrine in his system??? BTW, the number FIVE is a reference from "The Story of the World Cup" the best history "style" book ever written on the game, imo.. Hell No. Would ___________ fire a gun at reporters? Would ___________ shoot more smack than Columbia can export in a decade? Evade taxes? Be perhaps the worst ever ambassador for the sport? He's just a great footballer who was very hard to like, even on the pitch. I could care less if he's ever mentioned again, but it sure is easy knocking him down a few notches, as he's acted like an ass for a much longer time than he played like a legend.
Hehe, good post. Let me also include this: Would __________ cozy up with a famous latin-american dictator, at the same time praising an ideology that killed millions of people in the last century? Probably not.
Do you really expect someone not to celebrate after scoring a goal in the World Cup? I seem to recall the spice boy celebrating a bit after his penalty following Owen's dive last summer.
Diego Maradona played the professional game with the same love and desire to win that kids have when they play on the street. That was his greatest virtue, other than the fact that he was arguable the most talented player who ever lived. The 'hand of god' was as much a result of this attitude as all the good things that he did while playing the game. It has to be understood in the context of who he was as a player.
Scouse I swear sometimes the stuff you say makes me bust a gut , this would be on my sig if I was permium member no doubt.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Maradona's "Hand of God" Well they payed the referee so the English are cheaters too..
I'm going to use a baseball analogy here. Sorry to those who won't get it. Saying that the "Hand Of God" goal epitomizes Maradona is a little like saying that Roger Clemens' beaning of Mike Piazza epitomizes him. And I'm a Met fan, so I think very little of the guy. The whole '86 Cup epitomizes the man. Sporting genius always comes equipped with a little malicia. You needed. I mean, when didn't Michael Jordan travel? Children please.
I agree fully with this comment. I feel the only reason anyone cares so much about this is becasue 1) It happened in a big World Cup match and the player who did it was the player of the tournment as well as the captian of te winning team 2) It showed more of a reason to hate a player who was so gifted but so cocky at the same time I am not trying to offend th English section of Big Soccer here but the only reason this is even still an issue 17 years after the fact is because people know it will get an instant response from you because you have a real chip on your shoulders about it,given this is your glaring excuse for why you didn't win in 86 (not saying you would or wouldn't have won who knows but this gives you a real reason to complain as oppose to false excuses some not all but some make like Beckham's red in 98 or a fluke free kick in 02) I am sure everyone here has heard a coach say "don't stop playing till you hear a whistle blow even if the ball is: out/you fouled him/you are offsides/it hits your hand" all of that can be considered cheating no one complains about it but the team that lost. I play striker and when scoring goals you are told to get the ball in the net anyway you can come hell or highwater it doesn't matter, this is what Maradona was doing. I am not saying it was right or fair but if you can get away with it then so be it. The real beef should be with the ref/linesman who blew the call because no player I don't care who they are is going to say "Hey Ref I pushed that one in with my hand so don't count it" even more so with the next round of the World Cup looming. Plus I am sure some people look at as karma since England won the 66 cup 20 years before the Maradona "Hand of God" under a cloud of suspision, but that is never brought up by anyone talking about England and "shady" goals during World Cup play. I would have celebrated the goal as well, it just added to the image that it was a "normal" goal that Maradona or damn near any other player would try to pass of given the situation and nature of the match. All of this debate isn't going to change the fact that 17 years ago Maradona pulled a fast one on the ref's plain and simple it happened before it will happen again.
Maybe this is a difference in the two cultures. For example: Tax evasion is considered cheating in the Anglo world. However, in Latin America you will be considered very smart and reaching hero status. Another example, Anglos say: "I broke the glass", in spanish you would never say that, Spanish speakers would say: "The glass broke itself" (El vaso se rompio" And no, I am not kidding. Our culture prevents us from confessing our bad deeds" by the way, I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned Rivaldo pretending to be hit in the face when he was actually hit in his legs. That meant a red card for the Turkish player, and an assurance that Brazil would win. I think what Rivaldo did was far worse than the "Hand of God". Maradona did it as a reflect, Rivaldo did it maliciously.
Yes, Rivaldo's acting has been discussed already in this thread. You would have seen it if you had read the whole thread. And it was also proved that what he's done has no comparision with the "Hand of God" case. If you say it's worse you are probably biased against Brazil. (perhaps an argentinean?)
Thank you for the kind words. If you can't find humour in this world then it's a sorry world we live in. I've said before and I'll say it one more time. Maradona was a gifted player...! How he led his life was a shame because that's what he'll be remembered for. I really do take exception to the trolls who claim the Owen took a dive. Just look at the replays and tell me YOU could have stayed on your feet and taken the shot. That was a deliberate take down by a defender who was beaten. He knew he'd screwed up as soon as the whistle went and nobody protested.
The HOG was a sorry chapter in world football. That's not something I'd want on my resume if I were a gifted athlete. Pele and a host of talented footballers are far more worthy of notice IMO, but of course Maradona obviously has much different values.
The only reason some people think the 1966 world cup was won in suspicious circumstances is because it was won by England. Anglophobes.
It´s understandble there are anglophobes in Argentina and Germany, but I've seen plenty of it among US fans. Could you explain why? I'm curious about it.
Take a look at the picture at this link: http://www.uolsinectis.com.ar/uolfutbol/galerias/index.php?i=2&fecha=2002_06_07_1031&mode=foto Mikey looks a little more concerned with the ref's location than an actual foul...You will also notice that a) Pochettino's legs are nowhere near Owen, and b) that if he had hit him with his upper body Owen would not be falling head first. Hence, DIVE!
A still photo...? Right..! You're full of hoss poop hoss23, look at the video. And look at Pinochios reaction ofter he stuck his leg in....He knew.!
The play with Owens could have gone either way. There was a bit of contact and a bit of exageration, but we had a ref that I really respect, so I will accept it. I think his dive against Argentina in 1998 was much more blatant. Anyway, give credit to Owens for doing what it takes, but Diego is still the greatest.
I wasn't saying that I thought it was really not a goal all the replays I saw the ball seemed to cross the line. I was just saying that it shocks me a little that it's not more topic of diccussion here on BS since so many folks try to devalue the England 66 win and hate on the English players and team, that's all. I wasn't trying to knock the win or the goal, England deserved to win that game and the whole tournment for that fact. For my money that was one of the best teams ever to step on the pitch for England along with the 1970 side who if they would have came up against anyone other than the 70 Brasil squad would have walked away with an easy win in my view.