It is impossible not to associate Diego Maradona with the 1986 World Cup Mexico. The final match between Argentina and Germany took place in the Azteca, the same stadium where 16 years before, Pele and his teammates had fascinated the world and won the Jules Rimet Cup for Brazil.
The Argentine show, led by Maradona, started in the quarter finals with England as their first victim. The game occurred under a cloak of interests, as both countries had been at war four years before in Malvinas (Faulkland) Islands.
Maradona scored his first goal with his hand, to later on explain that it had been “God’s hand”. In that match, Maradona also scored the most beautiful goal of World Cup history: he started from the defense area, dribbled six English players, including the goalkeeper, and kick-touched the ball into the free net.
Brazil, France, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark also had excellent performances, though they were disqualified in the middle of the tournament. Brazil was defeated by France in quarter finals by penalty kicks in a dramatic match.
Denmark performed a memorable campaign, with a historic 6-1 victory against Uruguay, though it was beaten in the round of sixteen, when Emilio Butragueño scored 4 goals out of the 5-1 victory of Spain.
In the final match between Argentina and Germany, there were several dramatic plays. After a 2-0 advantage, Argentina saw the Germans achieve the tie in the second half. Five minutes before the end, Maradona saved Argentina with a precise pass for Burruchaga, who scored the final goal and won the Cup for Argentina.
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