Pelé v Italy in 1970. Lionel Messi v Manchester United in 2009. Robin van Persie v Spain in 2014.
All breathtaking headers on grand stages. All magnificent technical feats. As stunning as they were in their own right, however, there is one goal to which they cannot hold a candle.
On June 22 1986, Diego Maradona scored the greatest header of all time.
Maradona scored the greatest goal in World Cup history, and the second greatest four minutes later pic.twitter.com/zNQppU3U4T
— Oldfirmfacts (@Oldfirmfacts1) November 25, 2020
It’s a goal that’s gained a degree of infamy over the years, with some cynics claiming he ‘didn’t actually make a great connection with his head’. A few have even gone so far as to claim he ‘cheated’, presumably on the basis that he headed the ball while goalkeeper Peter Shilton had stopped to check for an offside flag.
36 years on, it’s widely regarded as the best headed goal ever seen. But how did he do it?
I’ve broken down the steps involved in a truly iconic moment.
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Six minutes of the World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England in Mexico City have elapsed, and Carlos Bilardo’s side seek an opener.
Maradona’s team-mates can be seen looking for an opportunity to throw the ball into the box and utilise his legendary aerial prowess. To their frustration, the number 10 is loitering near the centre circle.
Reluctantly he’s given the ball in an area that, even with his famed ability in the air, could not be considered a realistic position from which to score a header.
He begins to run at the defence, desperately hoping to find a team-mate who might provide the sort of pinpoint cross that he heads home on a weekly basis for Napoli.
The pass is on. The mood changes. We could be about to witness another one of those moments that have earned Maradona the nickname ‘El Hombre que Marca Muchos Goles con la Head’.
The cross is not forthcoming…but wait! Assuming Maradona and that ol’ ball magnet he calls a head is still safely outside the penalty box, defender Steve Hodge attempts an overhead passback to Peter Shilton.
Maradona spies an opportunity, but Shilton is slow to react. Television replays suggest he’s distracted by his desire to take back control and leave the European Union.
A fair fight this is not. The 5'4" colossus that is Maradona bears down on the diminutive 6ft Shilton.
“THWACK!”. That unmistakable sound of head connecting with ball.
GOAL! Maradona pauses for a moment, as even a man of his unearthly talents struggles to come to terms with the power and accuracy of his header.
Such is the skill and precision of Maradona’s finish, the English defenders find it within themselves to put their disappointment to one side and applaud the goal.
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Cameras capture a jubilant Maradona yelling the words “Cómete mi sucio balonmano, perros ingleses”, which translates loosely as “What a wonderful header that was”.
“Yes, I did see that excellent header” the referee assures excited England players.
Reflecting on the incident, Maradona famously said: “God gave me a hand with that header.”
— Oldfirmfacts (@Oldfirmfacts1) November 25, 2020
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