Celebrating Maradona’s 'Goal of the Century' and the 'viveza criolla'

June 22 is a memorable day in the history of Argentinian football. On this day in 1986, the late Diego Maradona scored twice in a 2-1 quarterfinal win over England, setting the tone for a famous World Cup triumph. Since Maradona died in 2020, June 22 is commemorated as the Argentine Footballer's Day.

On June 22, 1986, Maradona scored 'The Goal of the Century'. He began a menacing run from deep inside his half, went past four English players, left goalkeeper Peter Shilton stranded with a dummy, and slotted home spectacularly to make it 2-0 for Argentina.

Gary Lineker pulled one back in the 81st minute, but Argentina prevailed. They beat Belgium 2-0 in the semifinals, with Maradona scoring twice again, and then edged West Germany in the final to lift their second World Cup. It took Argentina another 36 years to lift another World Cup when Lionel Messi led them to the crown in Qatar 2022.

The other goal: Hand of God
On Sunday, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) commemorated the 39th anniversary of La Albiceleste's victory over the English with a tribute to Maradona. A beautiful portrait of the icon was superimposed onto a thumb impression, presumably of Maradona. "Your indelible mark" was the caption.

But the post on AFA's social media handles had this -- "In honour of Diego's Maradona second goal against the English in Mexico 86, today is Argentine Footballer's Day".

There is no doubt that the goal they commemorated was iconic, one that would be celebrated for as long as the game is played, for the finesse and genius of Maradona.

But because the AFA emphasised the 'second', it is quite natural that there was a first goal, which happens to be equally famous or infamous, depending on which side of history one prefers to lean upon.

That first Maradona goal was the infamous "Hand of God" goal. In today's 'VAR' (video assistant referee) era, it wouldn't stand, and Maradona would receive a yellow card for a deliberate handball. But the officials didn't notice the foul back then, so the goal stood.

Maradona described it as "a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God". The English players, particularly goalkeeper Shilton, have not forgiven Maradona for the illegal goal. Maradona called it a 'symbolic revenge' for the United Kingdom's victory over Argentina in the Falklands War in 1982.

In later years, Maradona cracked jokes about his infamous goal, taking pride in his deceit. Some football observers have called the goal and its remorseless endorsement an embodiment of an apparent South American concept of 'viveza criolla', Spanish usage that roughly translates to 'native cunning', which more or less justifies the path taken to succeed even if it's unfair.