Maradona and the rivalry between England and Argentina

Last update 28 December, 2020 por Alberto Llopis

Last 25 November, the world of football said goodbye to one of its most important figures of the 20th century. The Argentine soccer player Diego Armando Maradona died at 60 años due to heart failure at his house in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Tigre.

Many were the media that paid tribute to "el Pelusa", not only remembering him as a soccer figure, if not recalling the most controversial and popular parties. Argentina-England of the World Cup 86 it's an example; that you can revive in give football online and that gave rise to the already famous hand of God and that has been considered for years the best goal of the century 20 from the hand of the Argentine.

Maradona further fueled the rivalry between Argentina and England

With his goal in Mexico 86 Maradona only fueled the rivalry that existed for more than twenty years on and off the field between the two countries.

En 1966 in another world, of England 66, in the minute 35 of the party and in an action that did not deserve expulsion, referee Rudolf Kreitlein decided to expel Argentine captain Antonio Rattín. Éste, who together with the team asked for more than 10 minutes a translator, for the referee to explain why, of the expulsion, and by not obtaining justification, walked to the red carpet they had set up for the queen to pass by and sat on it. For the english, it was disrespectful, and they demonstrated it by throwing all kinds of objects. Thereafter, Rattin went to the corner flag on his way to the changing rooms and ripped off the flag with the English flag, after twisting the fabric, defiantly showed it to the public unleashing the anger of many.

The attitude of the Argentines during the match, the subsequent statements of the English coach where he called the albiceleste players "animals" and the referee's decisions during the 90 minutos, It gave rise to hours after the game an extraordinary meeting was called between the disciplinary Committee of the FIFA and the Executive Committee of the South American soccer confederation, putting on the table the sanction for the Argentines of not participating in the next World Cup.

After that world cup, the rivalry did not cease to exist on the field and off, so that in 1982 war broke out for the power of the Falklands, war that lasted barely three months and where the Argentines lost the power of the Islands signing the surrender on 14 de junio de 1982.

That's why, having the war for the Falklands still so present, Argentine and English players, among them Maradona, who jumped onto the grass to play the game of that historic World Cup 1986, they did not jump thinking that they would play one more game.

That match the Argentines with Valdano and Maradona at the head came out from the minute 1 to win in the field, the war they couldn't win years ago. Diego Maradona scored two of the 5 goals that the albiceleste made to the English. The first and most controversial to 51 minutes as Diego pushed the ball with his hand, and the second four minutes later, where he started from the center of the field with the ball at his feet, leaving from 5 English players and finishing with the ball inside the goal.

After the game the mime Diego called the first goal, "The goal of the hand of God" the second, has been named as the best goal of the 20th century.

Sin duda, los aficionados al fútbol they think that, if football has a history, Diego Armando Maradona's boots will always be talked about.