Argentina Marks 38 Years Since World Cup Victory
The Argentina national team, currently competing in the Copa América, is celebrating 38 years since one of the most important milestones in its history: winning the World Cup for the second time in the tournament held in Mexico in 1986. On that occasion, two events occurred that remain iconic for the Albiceleste: the "Hand of God" and the Goal of the Century, both starring the legendary Diego Maradona.
That occasion marked Argentina's second title in just eight years, with an Albiceleste team filled with stars such as Jorge Valdano, Jorge Luis Burruchaga, Nery Pumpido, and of course, a young 25-year-old Diego Armando Maradona. In that World Cup, the South American squad was part of Group A, which included Italy, Bulgaria, and South Korea.
During the group stage, they achieved 5 points, resulting from victories—back then worth 2 points each—against South Korea and Bulgaria, and a draw with Italy. Valdano scored 3 goals, while Maradona, Oscar Alfredo Ruggeri, and Burruchaga each scored one.
In the round of 16, they advanced without issues against Uruguay. The quarterfinals featured what was the most significant match of the entire World Cup, a turning point in the history of the Argentine national team, held at the imposing Estadio Azteca, located in the south of Mexico City.
England was Argentina's opponent in the quarterfinals, the perfect setting for Maradona to consolidate his legend, albeit with a bit of trickery, as he scored two goals that went down in history. The first was the controversial "Hand of God," where he used his left hand to punch the ball over goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
The second goal, scored just four minutes later, was called the "Goal of the Century" due to the incredible skill displayed by the young Maradona. Starting from the halfway line, he dribbled past five English players (Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher twice, Terry Fenwick, and Shilton) before increasing the lead in the match that ended with a 2-1 result.
In the grand final, Argentina faced Germany in a thrilling match that ended 3-2, with goals from Brown, Valdano, and Burruchaga for the Albiceleste, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Rudolf Voller for Die Mannschaft. The title cemented the South Americans as one of the best teams in the world after having won their first World Cup in 1978.
However, it took 36 years for Argentina to reach the pinnacle of international football again, thanks to Lionel Messi, who led the Albiceleste to lift the trophy once more in Qatar 2022, after narrow misses in Italy 1990 and Brazil 2014.
