Ahead of the World Cup, here is a reflection of the special football pitch inside Estadio Azteca, where Maradona scored a goal for the ages.
Diego Maradona walked shirtless through his team’s locker room, his eyes wide and his chest puffed out.
Argentina had just defeated its nemesis England in the 1986 soccer World Cup semi-final and the jubilant, almost defiant Maradona, clenched his fist as he circulated. He was god-like, a man who could part a sea of observers into adorers and loathers.
But here, amid his footballing brethren, he was at ease. As he strutted across the room, he absorbed their admiration and you might have forgiven him for a tinge of arrogance.
Outside the team’s intimate refuge, the crowd packed into Mexico’s colossal Estadio Azteca danced and cheered, though some howled disapprovingly at Argentina’s 2-1 victory. This could be expected because with one fell swoop, Maradona’s surgical run through the heart of the English team, had mercilessly extinguished his opponent’s hopes and sealed the fate of his own legend.
It was a moment of sheer inspiration, to be talked about for years to come and recalled whenever a goal of similar ingenuity was summoned. The impossible starting point beyond the halfway line; the initial pirouette that fooled England’s midfield; and then the unrelenting charge surely filled his mind now, flashing each time he shook a congratulatory hand.
His teammates began to chant and he turned from his thoughts to join in. “Argentina es el campeon,”, they sang, with hands flailing and towels waving. Maradona bobbed, bouncing on his knees and dipping his head in time. He raised his towel, stretched it out behind himself and waved it as a fan might in the stands. The other men, many of them half naked, clapped along. Amid the settling dust and drying sweat had come extraordinary emotion: Argentina not only tasted victory but now savoured one of the greatest goals ever scored.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will showcase a 104-game tournament featuring 48 teams across 16 host cities in three countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States. Significantly, Mexico will have the honour of getting the tournament under way in this historic venue which hosted the World Cup finals and opening games of 1970 and 1986.
By JP Pelosi
The Soccer Pitch Is Green 