Over three decades on from that fateful afternoon at the Azteca, Peter Shilton refuses to even budge on his unrelenting loathing for Diego Maradona – the man who bested him by foul means at the 1986 World Cup.
On 22nd June of that year, Maradona infamously used his divine appendage to beat Shilton to a high ball and put Argentina 1-0 up over England, eventually sending the Three Lions out at the quarter-final stage on a wave of blood, sweat, tears and righteous indignation.
Funny then, that on the 32nd anniversary of the Hand of God, Maradona should find himself distraught and despondent over Argentina’s embarrassing performance in their 3-0 defeat against Croatia at the 2018 World Cup.
Of course, Shilton, the man who has harboured a deep personal vendetta against Maradona since they crossed flight paths in Mexico City, couldn’t resist the urge to weigh in with some heavy karmic chide…
God was looking down on me this morning! Having watched the worst football Argentina has played in a World Cup on the eve before the anniversary of the hand of god incident 🏴👍🙏 pic.twitter.com/6HFxJYIKMT
— Peter Shilton (@Peter_Shilton) June 22, 2018
It’s hardly cosmic retribution as far as Shilts is concerned, but it’ll definitely do for now.