Maradona and the Argentina Victory

In nineteen eighty six, one of the biggest sporting events came to Mexico, producing one of the most memorable tournaments in soccer history. It featured political tension, high altitudes, dramatic upsets, and the rise of Diego Maradana from Superstar to Legend. And it also had earthquakes, economic problems, and the hand of God. Learn more about the nineteen eighty six World Cup on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. When people hear that Mint Mobile plans are only fifteen dollars a month, a lot of people wonder what's the catch? Well, I can tell you that there isn't one. There are no gimmicks and no gotchas. Just unlimited talk, text and data with fast reliable coverage on the nation's largest five G network. You can use your same phone with the same phone number and all of your contacts. All you do is pay less money. That's why I recommend Mint Mobile . 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Their t shirts are soft and easy to wear, and their lightweight cotton sweaters are perfect for cool summer nights. I just got two quints t shirts myself and I love . As always, everything at Quince is priced fifty percent to eighty percent less than similar brands. And they can do that by working directly with ethical factories and cutting out the middleman, so you're paying for quality, not brand markup. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quints. com slash daily for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty five day returns, now available in Canada too. That's Q INCE. com slash daily for free shipping and three hundred and sixty five day returns quince dot com slash daily The story of the nineteen eighty six World Cup actually begins in nineteen seventy four when the FIFA organizing committee met in Stockholm to decide the host country. The FIFA policy at that time was to alternate hemispheres for each World Cup . This hasn't been followed as strictly in the modern era as FIFA has expanded its footprint by taking the tournament to places such as South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Qatar. But in nineteen seventy four, Colombia was the only country to submit a bid, and it was a huge national honor when they were selected to host the nineteen eighty six World Cup. The nation was transitioning away from a unique mandatory power sharing arrangement that alternated the presidency between the two major political parties to settle decades of political strife. nineteen seventy four was also to be Colombia's first free democratic election in its history. Adding to the good news, a dramatic spike in global coffee prices triggered a massive growth spurt in the Colombian economy . But Colombia never ended up holding the tournament . A significant multiyear gap always exists between when a country wins a bid and when the tournament actually takes place, creating challenges for the host country and massive expectations from FIFA . FIFA provided countries with a very specific list of infrastructure requirements for hosting the World Cup . For example, at that time, the host needed enough stadiums to accommodate the sixteen team field through both the group and knockout stages, as well as an enormous venue capable of hosting a World Cup final . The terms of the nineteen seventy four bid allowed Columbia to minimize its costs as the nation already had five acceptable stadiums that required only minor upgrades, so they didn't need to build massive new venues . The five stadiums offered more than enough capacity to accommodate the thirty eight games of a sixteen team field . Columbia also met the minimum expectations for air rail and public transit between the five game sites. And Columbia barely met the lighting and broadcasting requirements for the matches, but they did manage to meet them. Then on the eve of the nineteen seventy eight World Cup, everything changed when FIFA expanded the tournament field from sixteen to twenty four teams , adding eight teams effectively nullified the nineteen seventy four agreement as the schedule now ballooned to fifty two total games. The new requirements that FIFA presented to Colombia were staggering. The additional matches meant Colombia had to drastically improve its baseline stadium infrastructure, as FIFA now expected Colombia to prov id twedelve stadiums that met international standards. The governing body also added strict new regulations on transportation, lodging and broadcasting. The unfortunate reality was that Columbia could not build the stadium infrastructure to meet FIFA's new expectations. Colombia's political leadership between nineteen seventy four and nineteen eighty two did nothing beyond forming bureaucratic committees, and the workers never broke round on a single stadium. By nineteen eighty two, the country finally admitted what was obvious to everyone. Colombia could not host the World Cup. FIFA immediately entered panic mode. To keep the hemisphere alternating rule alive, the Federation quickly sought a new host after Colombia withdrew . The United States, Canada, and Mexico all submitted emergency bids. Mexico ultimately won the rights to host the tournament, and they were aided by FIFA's restrictions on holding matches at venues that were not controlled by a nation's soccer association. And this rule limited the appeal of stadiums in the United States , which were built for American football . Mexico easily met the core infrastructure requirements because it had already hosted the nineteen seventy World Cup and the nineteen sixty eight summer Olympics. When they were granted the nineteen eighty six World Cup, they became the first country to host the event twice . Preparations for the World Cup were in high gear until september nineteenth, nineteen eighty five, when a massive earthquake measu thatred eight point zero in the Richter scale struck Mexico City, killing an estimated ten thousand people . With only eight months to go before the opening match, international critics called for Mexico to withdraw as host, putting the event's future in doubt. Voices inside the soccer world even demanded that FIFA cancel or delay the World Cup entirely. The global media harbored serious doubts about Mexico's ability to host the event on the heels of a major catastrophe. Skeptics suggested that FIFA rapidly moved the tournament to places like the United States, West Germany, or France, countries that possess the infrastructure required to accommodate an event of this size on an emergency eight month deadline . While the earthquake caused billions of dollars in damage across Mexico City, when the dust settled, it turned out that the core stadium infrastructure was virtually untouched. FIFA and Mexico recognized an unprecedented opportunity and quickly rebranded the tournament as a global celebration of Mexican resilience. When games finally kicked off in June of nineteen eighty six, FIFA insisted on playing the Marquis matches at noon local time to reach prime time television audiences in Europe , creating a very brutal test for players and fans nineteen eighty six was one of Mexico's hottest summers on record, and players struggled on the pitch. Teams played matches in scorching heat, often at altitudes above two thousand meters , creating incredibly hazardous conditions for the athlet . Compounding the misery, the stifling midday smog grew progressively worse the closer you got to the Mexico City Metroplex . Athletes and fans alike complained about the suffocating conditions . Yet, despite the oppressive climate, the tournament delivered several iconic moments that have etched themselves into sporting history. Fans across the world witnessed the global debut of La Ola , which was the Mexican version of the Wave . It actually originated in North American college football and spread to Mexico, and from the World Cup, the Wave became an international sensation. Fans also learned a new piece of World Cup vernacular, the Group of Death , a term that describes a difficult group in the opening stages of the tournament. Commentators use the phrase to describe the brutal collection of nations that FIFA placed in group E . It included West Germany, which was an established soccer power, who publicly voiced their dissatisfaction with FIFA's decision to place it in such a challenging group. Their frustration stemmed from being drawn alongside Urguay, a two time world champion, a disciplined Scotland team, and a really good team from Denmark. The name stuck and commentators and fans continue to use the Group of Death Moniker to this day . Erguayay triggered the tournament's first major controversy. Famous for its aggressive play style, they drew a red card just fifty two seconds into their match against Scotland. Jose Batista flew in with a violent tackle against Scotland's Jordan Straken, earning the fastest ejection in World Cup history. Referees rarely use the red cards so early, and to see a referee flash one before the stadium announcers have even finished reading the lineups was extremely unprecedented. The now ten man Uruguayan side retreated into a defensive shell, turning the match into an ugly frustrating slog. They held the Scots to a nil nil draw, eliminating a Scotland squad that had entered the tournament with high hopes. But Ergway's physical approach had already met its match earlier in the opening round when the world witnessed the arrival of the legendary Danish dynamite. The Danes played a fast paced relentless attacking style that caught Uruguay completely off guard, beating them six one in Uruguay's worst World Cup defeat ever. Denmark had never before qualified for the World Cup because until nineteen seventy eight, the Danish football union embraced a rigid form of amateurism that strictly barred overseas professionals from the national team. When those professional athletes finally returned to play for Denmark, the team became a powerhouse. However, what most people think of when they think of the nineteen eighty six World Cup has to be Argentina's Diego Merid ana. While his overall play defying the tournament, serious fans instantly point to the legendary quarterfinal match against England on june twenty second . The game was deeply personal for Argentina , because just four years earlier , Argentina and Britain had fought a seventy four day war over the Falkland Islands, also known as the Malvinis Islands, which resulted in over nine hundred deaths and a British victory. Despite claiming before the match that the war meant little to his personal motivation, Meridonna later admitted the truth in his autobiography, writing quote , It was like beating a country not a football team. Although he said before the game that football had nothing to do with the Malvinus War, we knew that a lot of Argentine kids had died there, and that they had motors down like little birds. This was our revenge it was, recovering a part of the Malvinus. We said beforehand that we should n't mix the two things, but that was a lie, a lie. We didn't think of anything except that, like Hello was going to be just another game. England had their own demons to face. They had under achieved on the global stage ever since winning the World Cup in nineteen sixty six. They desperately wanted to reassert their position among soccer's global elite . Ninglish had a highly talented roster led by scoring sensation Gary Leinker. Linker would leave Mexico with the golden boot as the tournament's top goal score, but few remember his individual accolades because Maradana completely stole the show. In the fifty first minute, Maridana ch ased a deflected ball into the box challenging England's goalkeeper Peter Shildon. Meridonna was six inches shorter than the goalkeeper, yet he leapt in the air with incredible timing to attempt a header. The next split second became one of the most famous moments in sports history. Meridonna punched the ball past the goalkeeper with his left fist, and despite furious English protests, the official allowed the goal to stand. As Meridonna later described it, the ball went in, quote, a little with the head of Meridonna , and a little with the hand of God. But just four minutes later, Meridana scored what is often considered the greatest goal in World Cup history. He took the ball in Argentina's own side of the field, turned away from two English players and dribbled more than half the field, beating Peter Beardsley, Peter Reed, Terry Butcher Terry, Fenwick, and finally the goalkeeper Shilton before putting the ball into the net. In contrast to the first goal, the second was pure brilliance. It was later voted the goal of the century in a FIFA pole . But Meridana wasn't done yet. This was his tournament. Facing off against a remarkably talented West German squad in the final, Meridana carried Argentina to a thrilling three to two victory. German manager and legend Franz Beckenbauer refused to let Maradona beat him single handedly, so the West Germans focused an incredible amount of defensive energy on keeping him completely neutralized . And the strategy worked until it didn't. The Germans covered Meridana relentlessly, but he just used the vacuum created by the extra defenders to help his teammates. When West Germany staged a late comeback to tie the match two to two, Maradana delive