Maradona and the 1986 World Cup: The Full Story Beyond the Two Famous Goals

Two goals in four minutes scored by Diego Maradona a football legend of the 1986 World Cup. But if you only remember the handball and the solo run against England, you miss most of what he actually did in Mexico. Over seven matches, Maradona scored five goals, setup five more and was involved in 10 of Argentina's 14 goals. He played every minute of the tournament, he was fouled more than any other player, and he carried a team that many experts had not rated before the first match.

This article tells the full story of Maradona's 1986 World Cup: how he got there, how coach Carlos Bilardo built a team around him, what really happened in each round, and how to think about the two goals that dominate the memory of that summer.

Maradona and the 1986 World Cup

Check the Quick facts of Argentina at the 1986 World Cup

Detail	Information
Host country	Mexico
Dates	31 May – 29 June 1986
Argentina coach	Carlos Bilardo
Argentina captain	Diego Maradona (aged 25)
Argentina record	7 matches: 6 wins, 1 draw, 14 goals scored, 5 conceded
Final	Argentina 3–2 West Germany, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Top scorer of the tournament	Gary Lineker of England, 6 goals
Best player award	Diego Maradona (Golden Ball)

Where Maradona came from - Biography

Diego Armando Maradona was born on 30 October 1960 in Lanús, Buenos Aires province, and grew up in the poor neighbourhood of Villa Fiorito. He was spotted as a child for his ability with a ball and became a first-team player at Argentinos Juniors just before his 16th birthday. By then he was already being talked about as a future national star.

His relationship with the World Cup did not start well. In 1978, Argentina hosted and won the tournament, but coach César Luis Menotti left the 17-year-old Maradona out of the final squad, judging him too young. Four years later, at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Maradona was in the team but struggled. He was marked closely and fouled often, and in the second-round match against Brazil he was sent off for kicking an opponent. Argentina went out, and Maradona left Spain with a reputation for talent and unfinished business.

After the 1982 World Cup he moved from Boca Juniors to Barcelona and then, in 1984, to Napoli, where he began to build the career that would make him a hero in southern Italy. By 1986 he was widely considered the best player in the world, but his international record had yet to match his club reputation. Mexico was his chance to change that.

The tournament: Mexico 1986

The 1986 World Cup nearly did not take place in Mexico. Colombia had originally been chosen as the host, but withdrew for economic reasons, and Mexico stepped in. This made Mexico the first country to host the World Cup twice, having also done so in 1970. In September 1985, an earthquake devastated parts of Mexico City, killing thousands of people, and there was public debate about whether the country should still hold the event. The tournament went ahead, and organisers and players spoke of it as a moment of recovery for the country.

The conditions were demanding. Many matches were played in the heat of midday, so that they could be shown at a convenient time in Europe. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City sits at an altitude of more than 2,200 metres, which affects breathing and the flight of the ball. Several teams struggled to adapt. Argentina's preparation included time at altitude, and the way the team managed its energy over seven matches was part of why it finished strongly.

Bilardo's team: built around one player

Argentina arrived in Mexico with serious doubts around the team. Carlos Bilardo, a former player and coach with a pragmatic reputation, had taken over from Menotti after the 1982 World Cup and had been criticised for his tactics and his choice of players. Qualification had also been uncomfortable: Argentina needed a late equaliser from Ricardo Gareca in a final qualifying match against Peru to reach Mexico. The press at home was not convinced.

Bilardo's answer was to build the team around Maradona, rather than ask Maradona to fit into a system. He gave him the captain's armband and a free role, with a tightly organised group around him. The team used three central defenders (usually José Luis Brown, Oscar Ruggeri and José Luis Cuciuffo), hard-running midfielders such as Sergio Batista and Ricardo Giusti, and attackers like Jorge Valdano and Jorge Burruchaga who could run in behind defences when Maradona drew defenders towards him. The goalkeeper was Nery Pumpido.

The result was a team that was often described as defensive and efficient rather than spectacular, with one exceptional player capable of making a difference at any moment. That description is only partly fair. Valdano, in particular, was a clever forward who scored four goals in the tournament, and Argentina's midfield worked hard to give Maradona the ball in dangerous areas. But the team's identity was clear: it needed Maradona to be at his best, and he was.

Argentina's road to the final

Argentina were drawn in Group A with defending champions Italy, Bulgaria and South Korea. The full tournament record is below.

Date	Stage	Match	Argentina scorers
2 June	Group	Argentina 3–1 South Korea	Valdano (2), Ruggeri
5 June	Group	Argentina 1–1 Italy	Maradona
10 June	Group	Argentina 2–0 Bulgaria	Valdano, Burruchaga
16 June	Round of 16	Argentina 1–0 Uruguay	Pasculli
22 June	Quarter-final	Argentina 2–1 England	Maradona (2)
25 June	Semi-final	Argentina 2–0 Belgium	Maradona (2)
29 June	Final	Argentina 3–2 West Germany	Brown, Valdano, Burruchaga

South Korea: a warning about what lay ahead

Argentina opened with a 3–1 win over South Korea. The score looked comfortable, but the match showed how opponents planned to deal with Maradona. South Korean defenders marked him closely and fouled him repeatedly, and it became clear that referees would need to decide how much contact to allow. This pattern continued throughout the tournament. Maradona was fouled more than any other player in Mexico, by most counts more than 50 times, and his ability to keep playing under that pressure was part of what set him apart.

Italy: Maradona's first goal

The draw against Italy was the most difficult group match. The defending champions took an early lead from a penalty by Alessandro Altobelli, and Argentina needed an equaliser. It came in the first half when Maradona scored with a clever finish that took the Italian defence by surprise. Italy's defenders, who had a reputation for tight marking, found it hard to contain him throughout the match. The 1–1 result was enough for Argentina to stay in a strong position.

Bulgaria and Uruguay: steady progress

A 2–0 win over Bulgaria, with goals from Valdano and Burruchaga, took Argentina through the group. In the round of 16 they faced neighbours Uruguay in a tense, physical match. Maradona was again marked heavily, and the only goal came from Pedro Pasculli just before half-time. Argentina held on to win 1–0, and the team that had been doubted at the start began to look like genuine contenders.

Argentina against England: more than two goals

The quarter-final against England on 22 June 1986 is one of the most discussed matches in football history. To understand why, it helps to separate three things: the context, the two goals, and the result.

The context

Four years earlier, in 1982, Argentina and the United Kingdom had fought a war over the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas. The conflict ended in an Argentine defeat, and hundreds of soldiers on both sides had died. In 1986, many people in both countries saw the quarter-final as more than a football match. Maradona himself said afterwards that the game felt like a small way of recovering something for his country, though he and his teammates had said before the match that they wanted to keep it as football. Players on both sides later said that they were focused on the game, but the surrounding atmosphere was charged.

England, coached by Bobby Robson, had started the tournament poorly and recovered with a 3–0 win over Poland, in which Lineker scored a hat-trick, and a win over Paraguay in the round of 16. They arrived at the Azteca with a team that was in good form and confident.

The first goal: the "Hand of God"

The match was goalless at half-time. Six minutes into the second half, the ball was played into the England area and Steve Hodge attempted to clear it back towards his goalkeeper, Peter Shilton. The ball went up in the air. Maradona, who stood around 1.65 metres tall, and Shilton, who was considerably taller, both went for it. Maradona reached the ball first, and the ball ended up in the net. Replays showed that he had used his left hand to knock the ball over Shilton. The referee, Ali Bin Nasser of Tunisia, did not see it, and neither did his linesman, who was in a position that gave him a limited view. The goal stood. After the match, Maradona described the goal as having been scored partly with his head and partly with "the hand of God", a phrase that became the name of the incident. Years later, he said openly that it had been a deliberate handball.

The goal remains controversial. English players and fans felt cheated, and many still do. In Argentina, the reaction at the time was more mixed, with some seeing it as a clever piece of opportunism and others as an unfair advantage. It is fair to say that it was a clear breach of the laws of the game, and equally fair to say that the officials made an honest error, in an era before video review. Modern football would almost certainly have disallowed the goal.

The second goal: the "Goal of the Century"

Four minutes later, Maradona scored the second goal, and it was a different kind of moment entirely. He received the ball inside his own half, near the halfway line, after a pass from Héctor Enrique. He turned away from Peter Beardsley and Peter Reid, then ran towards the England area, beating Terry Butcher, Terry Fenwick and finally Shilton before putting the ball into the net. The run covered roughly 60 metres and took around ten seconds, and during it Maradona kept the ball very close to his feet, changing direction without losing speed. In a poll run by FIFA in 2002, this goal was voted the Goal of the Century. Part of its reputation comes from the context, as it followed immediately after the controversial first goal, but it stands up on its own: it combined balance, acceleration and close control in a way that few players have matched in a World Cup match.

The result and what followed

England did not give up. Robson brought on John Barnes, who created chances down the left, and Lineker scored his sixth goal of the tournament nine minutes from the end to make it 2–1. England pushed for an equaliser in the final minutes but could not find it. Argentina won, and England were eliminated.

	"Hand of God"	"Goal of the Century"
Minute	51st	55th
How it happened	Maradona knocked a looped ball past Shilton with his hand	Solo run of about 60 metres from inside his own half
Defenders beaten	None (the goalkeeper was beaten in the air)	Beardsley, Reid, Butcher, Fenwick and Shilton
Official decision	Allowed; the handball was missed	Allowed; no dispute
Later reputation	Most debated goal in World Cup history	Voted Goal of the Century by FIFA in 2002

The semi-final against Belgium

Argentina's next opponent was Belgium, who had reached the semi-final after a penalty shoot-out win over Spain in the quarter-final. The Belgians were a well-organised team, but they could not contain Maradona. He scored both goals in a 2–0 win, the first early in the second half and the second an individual effort in which he ran past several defenders and finished across the goalkeeper. For many observers, this was Maradona's most complete performance of the tournament. The goals against England had been dramatic, but against Belgium he took more of the game into his own hands, scoring twice against a team that had been expected to give Argentina a serious challenge. Argentina were through to the final.

The final: Argentina 3–2 West Germany

The final took place at the Estadio Azteca on 29 June 1986 in front of a crowd of around 115,000. West Germany, coached by Franz Beckenbauer, were experienced and well organised. They had reached the final without playing their best football, but they had a reputation for never giving up.

Minute	Scorer	Score
23'	José Luis Brown (Argentina)	Argentina 1–0
56'	Jorge Valdano (Argentina)	Argentina 2–0
74'	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)	2–1
81'	Rudi Völler (West Germany)	2–2
83'	Jorge Burruchaga (Argentina)	Argentina 3–2 (final score)

The first goal came from a free-kick delivered by Burruchaga. West Germany's goalkeeper, Harald Schumacher, came out to claim the ball and missed it, and Brown headed it in. Brown, a defender, played on with a shoulder injury after the goal, a detail that is often mentioned as an example of the team's commitment. In the second half, Argentina scored again on a counter-attack through Valdano, and at 2–0 many people believed the match was over.

West Germany did not agree. In the space of seven minutes, from the 74th to the 81st, Rummenigge and Völler scored from corners taken by Andreas Brehme, and the match was level. At that point, with momentum clearly with the Germans, the match could have gone either way.

Maradona's contribution came two minutes later. West Germany's defenders had been tightly marking him all game, and he had few chances to show his best form. In the 83rd minute, he found space, played a precise pass through the German defence and sent Burruchaga clear. Burruchaga finished past Schumacher to make it 3–2. Argentina held on for the last few minutes, and when the whistle blew, they were world champions for the second time.

This moment matters because it shows what Maradona did beyond scoring. He had not scored in the final, and he had been tightly marked all match, but he still produced the pass that decided it. After the match, he lifted the World Cup trophy, was carried on the shoulders of his teammates and was named the tournament's best player.

Maradona's 1986 World Cup in numbers

Statistic	Figure
Matches played	7 of 7, every minute
Goals	5 (1 vs Italy, 2 vs England, 2 vs Belgium)
Assists	5
Share of Argentina's goals	Involved in 10 of 14
Fouls suffered	More than any other player (by most counts over 50)
Awards	Golden Ball (best player of the tournament)

What the two goals hide: the team around him

It is easy to tell the story of 1986 as one man against the world, but that is not the full picture. Argentina won because several things worked together. Bilardo's tactical set-up gave the team a solid base, with three central defenders and hard-working midfielders who protected the back line. Valdano scored four goals and gave Maradona a forward who could finish chances created in the build-up. Burruchaga scored in the group stage and in the final, and his goal against West Germany was the winner. Pumpido, Brown, Ruggeri and the rest of the defence kept the goals-against tally down to five in seven matches. At the same time, it is fair to say that Maradona was the difference between a good team and a champion. Without his five goals, five assists and the attention he drew from opposing defenders, Argentina's task would have been far more difficult. The best way to describe the 1986 team is as a group built to give one exceptional player the best possible conditions, and as a group that also contributed in ways that are often overlooked.

How to read the footage and the stories

The 1986 World Cup is much better documented than earlier tournaments, and full match recordings exist. This makes it easier to check what happened, but it does not remove disagreement. The handball is visible on replays, yet people still argue about how to judge it, about the referee's responsibility and about Maradona's later comments. The Goal of the Century is also a matter of record, but the "best goal ever" label is a matter of opinion.

When reading about 1986, it helps to separate facts from interpretation. Scores, scorers, dates and line-ups are well established and appear consistently in FIFA's records. Quotes from interviews, accounts of dressing-room conversations and claims about what players were thinking are less certain, and are often shaped by memory or by the writer's perspective. This article tries to make that difference clear. 

Legacy: what 1986 meant

The 1986 World Cup is widely considered Maradona's greatest achievement. It gave Argentina its second title and cemented his reputation as one of the greatest players in history, often mentioned alongside Pelé in debates about the best of all time. In 1990, Argentina returned to the final in Italy, again with Maradona as captain, and lost 1–0 to West Germany in a rematch of the 1986 final.

His career and life were not without difficulty. He struggled with drug addiction and was suspended from football in the early 1990s, and at the 1994 World Cup he was sent home after failing a drugs test. These chapters are part of the full story, and they sit alongside the achievements and the affection that many people, especially in Argentina and in Naples, still feel for him. Maradona died on 25 November 2020 at the age of 60, and the reaction around the world showed how much he meant to football fans.

For Argentina, the 1986 title remained the high point for many years, until the team won the World Cup again in 2022. For football history, it stands as a tournament in which one player, in the right conditions and with the right team around him, took control of the game in a way that few have done before or since.

To keep exploring, browse more articles in our World Cup and Legends sections.

Frequently asked questions

How many goals did Maradona score at the 1986 World Cup?

He scored five goals: one against Italy, two against England and two against Belgium. He also made five assists.

Was the "Hand of God" goal legal?

No. Replays show that Maradona used his hand to direct the ball into the net. The referee and linesman missed it, so the goal was allowed. Maradona later admitted it was a deliberate handball.

Why is the second goal against England called the Goal of the Century?

It was voted Goal of the Century in a poll run by FIFA in 2002. Maradona collected the ball in his own half and ran about 60 metres, beating several England players before scoring.

Who was the top scorer at the 1986 World Cup?

Gary Lineker of England, with six goals. Maradona was named the best player of the tournament.

Who did Argentina beat in the 1986 final?

West Germany, 3–2, after leading 2–0 and being pegged back to 2–2. Burruchaga scored the winner after a pass from Maradona.

How many times has Argentina won the World Cup?

Argentina won in 1978, 1986 and 2022.

Last reviewed: October 2026. If you spot an error in this article, please let us know through our Contact page and we will correct it.