Maradona Lifts the Cup: Argentina Wins the 1986 World Cup
On June 29, 1986, Argentina beat West Germany 3-2 at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca to win the World Cup, with Diego Maradona setting up the late winner.
Nine minutes left, the score tied at 2-2, and the greatest player on earth had the ball at his feet.
The final of the 1986 FIFA World Cup was played on June 29, 1986, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, before 114,600 fans. Argentina, led by captain Diego Maradona, faced West Germany, the runners-up of the 1982 tournament. The Germans, coached by the legendary Franz Beckenbauer, were the favorites. Argentina had other ideas.
Argentina struck first. In the 23rd minute, defender Jose Luis Brown rose to head home the opening goal. Eleven minutes into the second half, Jorge Valdano finished a sweeping move to make it 2-0. The trophy looked bound for Buenos Aires — until the Germans roared back. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge pulled one back in the 74th minute, and seven minutes later Rudi Voller nodded in the equalizer. At 2-2, with nine minutes to play, the final was wide open.
Then came the moment the tournament had been building toward. Maradona, who had been marked out of the game by design, found a pocket of space near midfield and slid a perfectly weighted pass through the German defense. Jorge Burruchaga raced onto it, kept his cool, and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Harald Schumacher in the 84th minute. Argentina 3, West Germany 2 — and this time there was no coming back. Argentina had won its second World Cup.
The final was the crowning of Maradona's tournament, and perhaps the greatest individual performance in World Cup history. Days earlier he had beaten England in the quarterfinal with two goals minutes apart that defined his legend: the infamous "Hand of God" goal, punched in with his fist, and the "Goal of the Century," a slaloming run through half the English team. Two more goals against Belgium in the semifinal had carried Argentina to the final. In the final itself he did not score — he did not need to. His pass won it.
The tournament had almost not happened in Mexico at all. A devastating earthquake had struck Mexico City the previous September, and doubts about the stadiums lingered until the Azteca stood full and roaring. Mexico became the first country to host the World Cup twice.
Argentina's 1986 triumph turned Maradona into a myth — in Argentina he remains a folk hero, and the number 10 shirt he wore became sacred. The final also closed an era: it was the last World Cup final played as "West" Germany; reunification would follow within four years. Great teams win tournaments, but once in a generation a single player bends one to his will. In Mexico, in June of 1986, that player was Diego Armando Maradona.
Photo: Carlo Fumagalli / El Gráfico — public domain (via Wikimedia Commons).
