2. Diego Maradona Vs England (Mexico, 1986)
In 1986, Anglo-Argentine relations were not in good form after the Falklands War. Diego Maradona, the undisputed Argentine star-man, had been contained by Bobby Robson and his cohorts for quite a while right before he struck the goal that sent England crashing out of the competition.
The diminutive Maradona managed to beat Peter Shilton to a looping ball and score with his fist raised towards goal . As the Argentine teammates went on a rampage in celebration, English players were enraged that the incident had been allowed to go down. Maradona’s comments after the game made him all the more infamous. He claimed that the goal was revenge on England, he even likened it to recover a bit of the Malvinas. Politics and football seemed inseparable to him.