Diego Maradona – The Hand of God

Thesis:  Undoubtedly the most debatable incident in the history of soccer, “La Mano de Dios” (The Hand of God) has overstep from being an icon of the soccer history to convert into a symbol in the Argentinian popular culture bearing in mind and highlighting the patriotic – “creole” and anti-colonialist values that have shaped the Argentinian society’s identity.

1. Introduction 

Undoubtedly the most debatable incident in the history of soccer, “La Mano de Dios” (The Hand of God) has overstepped from being an icon of the soccer history to convert into a symbol in the Argentinian popular culture bearing in mind and highlighting the patriotic – “creole” and anti-colonialist values that have shaped the Argentinian society’s identity.

1. Major point 1: The Maradona story was a progressive process in the Argentinian style myth which allowed the national identity to thrive.
2. Sub-point 1: The Argentine working class society identified the individual success of Diego Maradona as the Argentine identity tradition representation
3.  Alabarces, Pablo, Alan Tomlinson, and Christopher Young, Argentina versus England at the France’98 World Cup, (Media, Culture & Society, 2001), 547
4. Sub-point 2:  The ‘Hand of God’ labeled goal went down in the history books as one of the most unfair misfortune to bring a country together and revenge the killing of their fellow countrymen.

2. Major point 2: The Argentinian newspapers and magazines labeled Diego Maradona as the alter ego of Argentina.
3. Sub-point 1: According to some Argentinian citizens, Diego avenged all of them in his unique way despite the TV replays revealing how the goal was not legit. It did not change the delightful Argentine fans pride.
4.   Bandyopadhyay, Kausik, Souvik Naha, and Shakya Mitra, FIFA World Cup and beyond, (Sport in society, 2017), 554.
5. Sub-point 2: He is a true reflection of how the majority of Argentinian citizens view themselves. 
6. Conclusion

Diego Maradona will go down in history as an icon that translated the dynamics of an entire nation on and off the pitch. The notable characteristics of Diego Maradona in the popular discourse which define and translate his actions assists in structuring the meaning, crystallizing the constructed ideologies as well as helping in the embodiment of the society’s collective configurations.

Introduction

The 1986 World Cup match between England and Argentina in Mexico turned out to be among the most popular matches in the books of football history. The first goal in the match went down in the history books not just as the most uncommon goal to be counted, but also a goal that brought so much cultural and political debates and affiliations. The match was during the round of quarter-final of one of the most intense world cups which Argentina went on to win. The goal was so shocking and bizarre such that it portrayed the biggest example of cruel misfortune, deceit and luck that makes football so addictive to the majority of people.

With the score levels at 0-0, Diego Maradona initiated an impressive run in the midst of the England’s defense and then linked up with his teammate on the right as he proceeded to the goal where he got an ample space against the opponents’ goal. During the tension and the mix up in the England’s defense, Maradona won the ball from an opponent’s desperate clearance. He quickly jumped in the air as the goalkeeper lunged out directly to challenge the ball but did not really grasp it on his head. Realizing his miscalculation of the jump, he quickly whipped his hand towards the ball and punched it directly into the goal tricking the referees into believing it was a fair and clear goal and not God’s hand. Undoubtedly the most debatable incident in the history of soccer, “La Mano de Dios” (The Hand of God) has overstepped from being an icon of the soccer history to convert into a symbol in the Argentinian popular culture bearing in mind and highlighting the patriotic – “creole” and anti-colonialist values that have shaped the Argentinian society’s identity.

Significance and influence

After the national team had failed to progress in the 1982 Spain World Cup as well as the narrow and disappointing qualifying effort, the Argentine team went into the World Cup of 1986 under the management of Bilardo who advocated for all anti football techniques as a way to win no matter whatever costs. The coach granted Diego Maradona and Valdano his attack partner, the freedom to utilize the spontaneous space and their creativity. However, the long lasting popular conscious impressions of the 1986 quarterfinal World Cup match depicted nothing but anti-football tactics.

The two goals scored by Maradona against the English team in the World Cup quarterfinal match fulfilled the popular mythical traditional national identity expectations through the style of play they used which was a symbolization of their anti-football creole. The first goal which Maradona used the ‘hand of God’ technique to score was allowed by the officials after he poked the ball in amid the challenge of Peter Shilton the English goalkeeper. Despite the controversial critics of the ‘hand of God goal’the Argentine working class viewed it as an essential form of trickery and conniving that is acceptable and appreciated in the gaucho romanticized Argentina’s interior. The application of trickery by gaucho for survival acts as a creole nationalism source of ego and similarly the football trickery was consistent with defeating the opponents no matter the costs even though it required achieving an unfair or a clever advantage against the opponent.

The Maradona’s football career at both the national team and club level constitute several moments that symbolize the trickery and conniving techniques but the memorable moments of the 1986 World Cup are vivid in the memories of many Argentine citizens. The Maradona story was a progressive process in the Argentinian style myth which allowed the national identity to thrive. The Argentine working class society identified the individual success of Diego Maradona as the Argentine identity tradition representation as portrayed in the 1920s sports pages. His humble bringing up in the villa slums compliments the Argentine view of the popular sector while his creativity mastery in his youth, indiscipline and the demonstration of the football creole granted him the ability to symbolize the trickery and conniving as per the traditional football version of the Argentinian national identity.

The Anti-colonial and nationalistic values

There has been an existence of a rivalry between England and Argentina which is not only about soccer but also outside the pitch thus making the match an epitome of cultural and political issues which surrounds the relationship of the two nations. The soccer rivalry of the two teams is traceable back in the world cup of 1966 when they showcased an ugly encounter that led to the suspension of the captain of Argentina. Due to frustration the captain had stomped on the royal carpet of the English stadium which resulted to Argentinians being labeled as animals by the English team manager. This was taken as a racist insult by the opponents, which steered politically charged and intense rivalry since then. 

Apart from the rivalry on the pitch, the world cup of 1986 took place right after four years of the Falklands conflict, continuous short wars which came to an end when the British army massacred around 700 unprepared marginalized Argentinian forces in the bid to capture the control of the Falkland Islands. Therefore, the world cup of 1986 gave an avenue to the Argentinians to metaphorically vindicate their massacred soldiers. The ‘Hand of God’ labeled goal went down in the history books as one of the most unfair misfortune to bring a country together and revenge the killing of their fellow countrymen.

The Argentinian newspapers and magazines labeled Diego Maradona as the alter ego of Argentina. The statement shows that Diego Maradona symbolizes all Argentinians and portrays all his personal wrongdoings and successes to the nation’s large screen. According to some Argentinian citizens, Diego avenged all of them in his unique way despite the TV replays revealing how the goal was not legit. It did not change the delightful Argentine fans pride.

Variances in ideology and identity

Diego Maradona came from Fiorito Villa, a Buenos Aires suburb when most critics in the history identified the period as the Post-modern era passage. He is a rebellious, emotional, non-conformist, intuitive and shocking individual who intentionally ignores the law. Thus, he is a true reflection of how the majority of Argentinian citizens view themselves. Unlike the Europeans and the North Americans, Maradona as the representation of many other citizens, does not recognize the law of the state. Among the Latin American regions, the anti-colonial and nationalistic spectacles of soccer brought together individuals into single entities.

National identity politics and the Argentinian football are ongoing processes that fluctuate along a scale. One side of the scale consisting of a hybrid traditional society symbolized by the pibe and potrero football creole imagery while the other side lies the urge to emulate modernity through adopting the tastes of the Europeans and North Americans which is symbolized by the anti-football and caudillo. As a result, the identity and the team’s playing style was a matter of intense arguments brought about by popular debates that revealed preferences between two attitudes seemingly in comparison of each other. Traditionalists on one side preferred the style of criollo which appreciated the young street kid and the dusty pitches where soccer was practiced as the nation’s symbol which was a connection to the humble beginnings and a representation of the employed people in the community. The other side consisted of the reformers who preferred the already proven successful approaches in Europe. The anti-football critical definition emphasized on data-driven training, physicality and tactical strict adherence to rules. The Argentinian proponents described the European approach as the modernity and progress.

National identity and idolatry

Maradona who was a national hero and labeled as the man who moved hearts, supported President Menem on his election campaign despite his lack of proper governance. The footballer’s support was impactful enough for the president to triumph for the second term. Despite his bad picture that was clear to everyone, it was not possible to taint his image with criticism because the majority viewed him as their idol and if his vices were exposed, the people would rally to defend him. For instance, when he battled with drug addiction and obesity people came out to defend him massively. Therefore, if Argentines were to consider their combined emotional capabilities in a particular individual, Diego Maradona’s life would be mirror to many lives that arguably have good talents and potential but struggle with self-perception.

Some nationalistic ideologies saw Diego Maradona as a disgrace following his media astonishing tirade and the clumsy qualification of the world cup. The skepticism however, does not amount to make the Argentines to give up their national icon no matter how he would embarrass them. After all, Diego was the one who helped the country to regain its glory through the ‘hand of God’ goal a magic moment that would today make any Argentine to smile eith a gleam no matter which class they belong to.

During the 1986 world cup period, the football playing style of the Argentinians helped set the anti-colonial and nationalistic values of the Argentines through the literary critics and journalists from traditional Buenos Aires publications together with famous print sources. The writings and media utterances depicted a certain trend of national identity that manifested in the continuous popular football practice.

Finally, the creole ethnically based style of play portrayed by the famous press outlets Critica and Grafico arose as the leading discourse which represented and defined the national symbolic playing style of a typical Argentine race. The football creole emerged through environmental and cultural hybridity factors where the sports media and the soccer cultures connected the Argentinian playing national style with the pibe imagery of a young kid who established cunning or a trickery knack on the lonely unoccupied urban lots and dusty fields around and in the Buenos Aires city. This playful and undisciplined game approach stood in the contrast of the systematic British style which was trained in athletic clubs and private schools. As a result, the freshly defined pibe and football creole comprised of a distinctive cultural approach which helped in the construction of an emerging Argentinian national identity.

Religion implications

The Argentine cultural power and gaze are based on strong religious affiliations. The nationalistic fervor of the Argentinian citizens rests on myth and symbolization relating to religious applications such that the construction of the ‘hand of God’ concept was based on the Christianity belief of the Argentinian people. Diego Maradona labeled the ‘hand of God’ goal after an interview where he argued that it was through God’s intervention that it went in with a little Maradona’s head and a little hand of God involvement.

The Argentinian culture is so much affiliated to the Christianity religion such that almost everyone believed the ‘hand of God’ was a pure blessing to an extent of claiming that God was from Argentina. Some have even gone far as creating a Maradona church website which consists of more than 20,000 members. The online fan group of the Argentina’s unrivaled football icon proclaimed that soccer had a god and the god was Argentine and the name of the Argentine was Diego Maradona. 

Fetishism, fandom, idolatry and gaze

The Argentinian fans literally worshipped Diego Maradona. The late Bueno Rodrigo, a popular musician coming from Cordobia delivered the niche and regional cuerteto music of style to the local national limelight as his record song ‘hand of God’ (La Mano de Dios) hit in the entire nation. Written to honor the national hero and a soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona, the title of the song depicts a clear allusion of the uncommon goal he had scored against the English internationals in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup. The song also reveals more about the place of Maradona regarding the national identity politics and the style of play. It starts by recognizing Diego Maradona’s place of birth which was a slum suggesting that God wanted to breed and manifest a humble expression in him and expose him to adversity so that he could triumph and influence the world. The singer highlighted the resonance of the popular sectors of Argentina which were common in the nation’s economic hardship situations to advancement in the Argentine national identity and culture positive features of the working class. The achievement of the Argentine distinct football creole playing style was the main item of affection in the singer’s narrative.

Conclusion

The football icons provide an avenue in which to discuss and compare the national identity dynamic and negotiated politics. Therefore, Diego Maradona will go down in history as an icon that translated the dynamics of an entire nation on and off the pitch. Undoubtedly the most debatable incident in the history of soccer, “La Mano de Dios” (The Hand of God) has overstepped from being an icon of the soccer history to convert into a symbol in the Argentinian popular culture bearing in mind and highlighting the patriotic – “creole” and anti-colonialist values that have shaped the Argentinian society’s identity. The notable characteristics of Diego Maradona in the popular discourse which define and translate his actions assists in structuring the meaning, crystallizing the constructed ideologies as well as helping in the embodiment of the society’s collective configurations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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