"It's 40 Years Now...": Peter Shilton Looks to Put 'Hand of God' Behind Him

History has a funny way of repeating itself, and when Argentina and England meet on football's grandest stage, the past is never far behind. Twenty-four years after their last World Cup clash at the Sapporo Dome in Japan, the two heavyweights are once again just 90 minutes away from glory. As the old saying goes, old rivals never die; they simply wait for the next whistle. From fierce battles and political undertones to unforgettable moments of genius and controversy, this rivalry has produced some of the sport's most enduring stories.

However, no incident comes closer to the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, where Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal left England goalkeeper Peter Shilton protesting in vain. Maradona then turned from villain to virtuoso with the 'Goal of the Century', carrying Argentina toward a second World Cup crown while leaving Shilton with a memory that time could never erase.

The former England goalkeeper, whose name had remained inseparable from one of football's most controversial moments, admitted that time and a recent visit to Argentina had softened his feelings. "I've put the beef to bed," Shilton remarked in a recent conversation with the British newspaper, The Telegraph. "It's 40 years now. I've been to Buenos Aires in recent years, and the people there were fantastic towards me. They were brilliant. Inside, I thought it was time to move on. Obviously, Maradona's no longer with us," he further added.

Could Peter Shilton Have Done Something Better?

Time may have softened the outrage, but it never erased the controversy. Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal paved the way for Argentina's 2-1 victory over England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal before he silenced critics moments later with the breathtaking 'Goal of the Century', a spellbinding solo run still regarded as one of football's finest goals.

For Peter Shilton, however, that afternoon in Mexico City became an inescapable part of his legacy. Despite earning a record 125 caps for England and cementing his place among the country's greatest goalkeepers, the image of Maradona punching the ball past him continued to overshadow a glittering career.

Nearly four decades later, Shilton has never wavered in his belief that he could have done little differently. "People say, 'Oh, you should have knocked his head off or taken him out,' but they don't read the situation," Shilton said, quoted The Telegraph. "I would have given away a penalty and potentially been sent off. I was getting the ball. That's why Maradona punched it in. He would have headed it otherwise. It's as simple as that."

For Shilton, the criticism had been especially frustrating because, in his view, those judging the incident rarely appreciated the split-second decisions a goalkeeper had to make.

VAR & Modern Day Technology In Football

The former England goalkeeper believed that the presence of VAR and modern football technology would have ruled out the 'Hand of God' and also the 'goal of the century,' due to Maradona's second foul on Glenn Hoddle in the build-up.

"There are critics of VAR, and sometimes it takes a little bit too long to make decisions, but neither of the Argentinian goals would have been allowed because obviously Maradona did handball it. The second goal, Glenn Hoddle was fouled right in front of the referee before the ball broke to Maradona. It would have been a free-kick.

Shilton shared another curious episode from that famous quarterfinal. It was England midfielder Steve Hodge's sliced clearance that sent the ball looping into the air, creating the opportunity for Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal. After the match, Hodge quietly exchanged shirts with the Argentine legend without telling many of his England teammates. He kept the jersey in his personal collection for more than three decades. In 2022, the historic shirt went under the hammer and fetched an astonishing £7.1 million, setting a record as one of the most expensive pieces of sports memorabilia ever sold.