A Brief History of the World Cup
Hero and Villain
Diego Maradona seemed to carry the weight of a nation on his back in Mexico in 1986. Still smarting from the Falklands war against the English, his and Argentina's tournament burst into life during the quarterfinal against England. Maradona's two second-half goals summed up all that was good and bad about the midfielder. The first was bad, as he punched the ball into the net (he infamously called it the "hand of God"). But his second was one of the greatest goals of all time, as he ran half the length of the field, beating half of England's team in the process. He single-handedly rolled over Belgium in the semi before inspiring his charges to defeat West Germany 3-2 in a compelling final, providing the key assist to win the game.