I…have to return some video tapes.

Tread softly, you tread on my dreams.

The Hand of God goal (Spanish: La Mano de Dios) was scored as the result of an illegal (but unpenalised) handball by Diego Maradona in the quarter-final match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup between England and Argentina, played on 22 June 1986 in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. Argentina won 2–1.

The long-term rivalry between the two footballing nations can be traced back to the controversial sending off of Argentine captain Antonio Ubaldo Rattin in the England-Argentina match of the 1966 World Cup; Argentina were knocked out of the tournament, while England went on to win the championship. In 1986, when England and Argentina met in the quarter-finals, tensions were running particularly high between the countries, due partly to the Falklands War, which had taken place just four years earlier. This Argentine win, like that of the English 20 years earlier, was en route to winning a World Cup championship.

Six minutes into the second half, the score was 0–0. Maradona cut inside from the right flank and played a diagonal low pbum to the edge of the area to teammate Jorge Valdano and continued his run in the hope of a one-two movement. Maradona’s pbum, however, was played slightly behind Valdano and reached England’s Steve Hodge, the left-midfielder who had dropped back to defend.

Hodge (who swapped shirts with Maradona after the game) tried to hook the ball clear but miscued it. The ball screwed off his foot and into the penalty area, toward Maradona, who had continued his run. England goalkeeper Peter Shilton came out of his goal to punch the ball clear, with his considerable height at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), making him clear favourite to beat Maradona at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)to it. However, Maradona reached it first, with the outside of his left fist. The ball went into the goal, and the referee (Tunisian Ali Bin Nbumer), not having seen the infringement, allowed the goal.

Some television commentators thought the objections of the English defenders were claims for offside, and it was only clear from other camera angles—not the original one—that there had been an offense.

Maradona later said, “I was waiting for my teammates to embrace me, and no one came… I told them, ‘Come hug me, or the referee isn’t going to allow it.’

Five minutes later, Maradona scored another goal, voted in 2002 as the Goal of the Century, in which he eluded five English outfield players (Hoddle, Reid, Sansom, Butcher (twice) and Fenwick), as well as Shilton. England scored through Gary Lineker in the 81st minute, but Argentina won the match 2–1.

At the post-game press conference, Maradona claimed that the goal was scored “un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios” (a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God)[cite this quote], coining one phrase “Hand of God”. Video and photographic evidence demonstrated that he had struck the ball with his hand, which was shown on television networks and in newspapers all over the world.

Very little criticism or complaint was made against referee Ali Bin Nbumer or the Bulgarian linesman, Bogdan Dochev.

For the next few days, the English press referred to the incident as “The Hand of the Devil.” Maradona remained unpopular with the English press, and when he was later banned from football for cocaine use, the tabloid newspaper The Sun stated in a headline “Dirty Diego Gone For Good!”

In response to this incident and the reaction, Bobby Robson launched the “Fair Play Programme” in 1993.