Diego Maradona Reveals ‘Hand of God’ Truth-And Why He’d Still Praise Cheating
**Diego Maradona, the Argentine football legend, told an English journalist in Doha on 2005 that he’d never apologize for the ‘Hand of God’ goal-and even joked he’d praise a young player for punching the ball into the net.**
The interview, conducted in Qatar’s capital, captured Maradona at a rare moment of candor. He dismissed any guilt over the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal goal against England, telling the reporter, *“You have to use any advantage you can on the football field.”* When pressed about a hypothetical youngster scoring the same way, he grinned: *“I would say ‘good, very good.’”*
Maradona’s unrepentant stance shocked even his critics. The goal-where he punched the ball into the net with his hand-remains one of football’s most debated moments. Yet he framed it as sheer opportunism, a trait he admired in players. *“If they had VAR in 1986,”* he mused, *“England might have won.”* Ironically, he was an early VAR advocate, though he knew the technology would have cost him that goal.
His defiance extended beyond the pitch. *“Life is worth living again,”* he said, referencing his battle with cocaine addiction. *“I wake up every morning and see my daughters-that’s special.”* The 2005 interview, just five years before his death in 2020, showed a man who had turned his life around through family, not fame.
Ahead of England’s 2006 World Cup campaign, Maradona singled out Wayne Rooney as his modern counterpart. *“He has the same characteristics as me,”* he claimed, though he added Rooney needed *“more guidance, more leadership.”* The comparison was bold-Rooney, then 20, was already England’s golden boy, but Maradona saw potential for greater impact.
When asked who was the best player ever-himself, Pelé, or Johan Cruyff-Maradona smirked. *“My mum says it’s me… and everyone listens to my mum!”* The quip underscored his self-deprecating humor, even as he remained the undisputed king of Argentine football.
The reporter had history with Maradona. In 1986, he’d watched the goal in a Reading snooker hall and screamed *“you f***ing cheat”* at the TV. Decades later, Maradona shook his hand without resentment. *“He was gracious, kind,”* the journalist recalled. *“He insisted I could ask him anything.”*
The 2005 interview remains one of the last times Maradona spoke so openly about his past-his addictions, his family, and his unshakable belief in his own genius. Even in defending a goal that defined his legacy, he did so with a wink, proving that for Maradona, football was always about more than the rules.