Diego Maradona: the Last Interview: and Other Conversations by Melville House

Author:Melville House [House, Melville]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Melville House
Published: 2022-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

A REUNION WITH GARY LINEKER

INTERVIEW BY GARY LINEKER

BBC TV

MAY 2006

In 2006, it was as if Maradona was a new man. After stomach stapling surgery and rehab, Maradona lost a lot of weight and swore that he had overcome his drug addiction. During this period, Gary Lineker, one of England’s greatest center forwards who played on the England side that lost to Argentina 2–1 in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals—the game during which Maradona scored his infamous “Hand of God” goal—ventured to Buenos Aires to track down Maradona and talk about that game. Lineker, now a popular broadcaster for the BBC, had tried, years earlier, to meet Maradona in Argentina, but the interview fell through. In March 2006, Lineker finally managed to get his audience with Maradona, when they had the opportunity to discuss the two goals Maradona scored against England.

lineker: ‘86, probably the highlight of your career. You got through to the quarterfinals where you played us, England. There was a lot of buildup for that game because, of course, the Falklands/Malvinas beforehand. Both sides said at the time that wasn’t important. Was that true for you?

maradona: It seems to me that everyone surrounding us was talking about the Falklands/Malvinas. We just wanted to play a football game. I’m not going to resolve anything thinking about something else other than winning. Winning the game against England.

lineker: It was your hand? Or the hand of God?

maradona: It was my hand. With this I don’t mean any disrespect to English fans, but this is something that happens. We used to do this. I had scored goals before in Argentina with my hand; it was a goal that I couldn’t reach it and Shilton was already there, so I couldn’t head it, so I did like that [repeats motion of scoring with hand]. And I moved my head back and I started running because I started to run at first and Shilton didn’t realize and the one who told him is the sweeper, he was the one who sees my hand. When I see the linesman running, I go out shouting, “Goal!” and I look behind me to see whether the referee took the bait and he had, so that was it. “Come on, come on it was a goal!”

lineker: As you ran way and you were looking around at your teammates, do you think they knew?

maradona: My teammates did notice and they didn’t come over to celebrate with me. I was saying: “Come on, come on! Hug me. Let’s do it properly. Let’s go the whole way!” Hoping the goal would be allowed. Thank God it was.

lineker: In England that would be regarded as cheating; they would say you know that’s totally against fair play. How do you see that?

maradona: No, I don’t think it’s cheating. It’s cunning, cheekiness, it can be handling the ball or…it’s not cheating. I believe it’s a craftiness. Maybe we have a lot more of it in South America than in Europe. It’s not cheating.

lineker: Why did

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