On this day in 1986, Diego Maradona and Argentina won the World Cup at the famous “Azteca” stadium in Mexico producing this incredible image:
Most football fans know all about Maradona’s iconic 1986 World Cup performance. We grew up with legendary tales of the ‘little squat man’ dribbling through the whole of the England defence and producing the ‘goal of the century’, followed by an infamous ‘hand of god’. When asked about the greatest player of all time, anyone who had the luck of watching him play would declare that no one comes above Maradona. To this day, Diego Maradona is arguably the single most important Argentinian figure of all time, and despite the many controversies he was involved in, Maradona is and probably will always be adored in his home nation.
36 years on from that World Cup final, Argentina have a new football icon in Lionel Messi. The 35 year-old has basically achieved everything a footballer could possibly dream of achieving and has arguably surpassed the likes of Pele, Maradona & Cristiano Ronaldo to become the best player of all time.
Despite his incredible career, there is still only one title that evades Messi… The World Cup. The last piece of the puzzle that would make him undoubtedly the greatest player of all time, and the only thing Diego Maradona still holds over Messi.
With the upcoming World Cup in Qatar looming, Messi will be hoping to put an end to the drought and bring the trophy back home to Argentina for the first time since Maradona did in 1986. And it might very well be his destiny…
Lets go back to to that picture from 1986. It was taken moments after Argentina had won the final against West Germany. As you can see, Maradona is joyfully lifting the World Cup trophy while being hoisted in the air by his teammates. You can see the happiness in his face and instantly understand the significance of the moment. But lets dive a bit deeper… If you take a look you’ll see the trophy is being held in Maradona’s right hand, but it’s the left hand we want to focus on. Due to being lifted in the air, the left hand is positioned underneath the flags hanging inside the stadium. More importantly, Maradona’s thumb is pointing directly towards a specific flag… Qatar’s flag!
The Thumb Of God: 3️⃣6️⃣ years ago to this day, #Argentina won the #WorldCup in #Mexico. Diego #Maradona is pictured lifting the trophy with one hand and giving a thumbs-up to the Qatari flag with the other. This year’s World Cup? In #Qatar! Coincidence? NOT if you ask the fans! pic.twitter.com/jkcxqOQrld
— 365Scores (@365Scores) June 29, 2022
Sharp eyed Argentinian fans have noticed this insanely coincidental detail and have been sent in to a frenzy. Supporters are CONVINCED that Argentina are now destined to win the World Cup, 36 years after Maradona literally pointed towards the Qatari flag while celebrating with the trophy.
