Diego Maradona 'destroyed' England in 1986 World Cup, says Terry Fenwick
Diego Maradona's two goals for Argentina - including the infamous 'Hand of God' - knocked England out of the 1986 World Cup; Terry Fenwick and Gary Lineker reflect on his 'magical' career following his death aged 60 this week
Friday 27 November 2020 16:57, UK
Diego Maradona was an "un-coachable streetfighter" who single-handedly "destroyed" England's World Cup hopes in 1986, says Terry Fenwick.
The Argentina legend, who passed away aged 60 this week, scored both goals as he led his country to a 2-1 victory over England in Mexico City, sending their opponents home at the quarter-final stage.
Maradona's first goal was the infamous 'Hand of God', when he punched the ball beyond England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, while his second - a dribble from the halfway line past numerous defenders - has gone down in history as one of the most iconic goals in World Cup history.
Fenwick was part of the defeated side that day and believes that, while England had the stronger XI, they just could not contend with the skill of Maradona.
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He told Sky Sports News: "The Hand of God goal was handball. The game would have finished 1-1, with us with the momentum going forward.
"I think England had the better XI, but they had Diego Maradona. He was the difference between the two teams.
"For multiple years I was bitter and twisted about the whole thing, but he was an amazing talent. He'd pirouette, which he did in the game, scoring his second goal, and he just destroyed us with two incredible runs.
"This guy was a streetfighter from Buenos Aires. I don't think he was coached - I think he was probably un-coachable because he had such talents about him.
"The pitch was absolutely awful but this guy was running with pace with the ball looking like it was on a piece of string on his left foot. You couldn't get it off him.
"Over the 90 minutes I boshed him two or three times and tried to intimidate him - I couldn't do that. He was talking to me throughout the game, just chatting away to me like this was a walk in the park."
'Maradona's second goal was greatest ever'
Gary Lineker - who scored England's goal in the 2-1 defeat to Argentina - believes Maradona's life was encapsulated by his two strikes at the Estadio Azteca.
The former England striker adds that he holds no grudge against Maradona for the Hand of God goal, instead choosing to remember the "magnificence" he displayed on the pitch.
Lineker said: "In many ways you can sum up Maradona's life in the minutes between those two goals. The cheeky side of it, the kind of naughty bit, and then the brilliance - the magical nature of his second goal which I believe has to be considered as the greatest goal that's ever been scored.
"There's lots of great goals scored but not in a game of such magnitude. Don't forget the background to that game - it was just a few years after the Falklands War and players were put under pressure.
"Yes he got away with it - some of my team-mates have never forgiven him. I have - I still to this day blame the referee, particularly the linesman who latterly admitted he did see it.
"But let's put that aside - that's an English thing. The magnificence of his football was always a sight to behold."
'He was a footballing god'
Ahead of this weekend's fixtures, Premier League managers have been paying tribute to Maradona.
Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard described the former Barcelona and Napoli forward as "my idol growing up". He added: "I was born into a football family but he was the player on the world stage who made me fall in love with the game.
"I wasn't even put out by the Hand of God. I was as an England fan but his individual brilliance overcame that as I grew up.
"I was fortunate enough to meet him briefly; he was a footballing god. It is very sad he's not with us."
Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti - who played against Maradona when both were competing in Serie A - said: "He was my opponent. He became my friend after that. I had a good relationship with him. He was a really good guy, really humble. I always liked him as a person.
"It's a big loss for football but the memories are still there. He was a fantastic player and helped football around the world with his quality, his skills and his ability. At that time he was the best player.
"He was the best player I ever played against - really difficult to stop, unbelievable quality. I'm going to keep a fantastic memory of him."
