“The Hand of God” Again and Always in Argentina? Football in the Home Country of Pope FrancisJune 22, 1986. Mexico City. The quarterfinal of the World Cup between Argentina and England. Diego Maradona leaps into the penalty area, raises his left hand, and sends the ball into the net with a punch. The referee does not notice the foul. A moment later, Maradona will call this incident “The Hand of God.” Decades pass, and the same gesture — a hand raised to the sky — becomes a symbol not only of football audacity but also of an entire nation where football has long been intertwined with religion. And on the papal throne in Vatican City sat an Argentine, Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis, who in his youth played football on the streets of Buenos Aires and supported San Lorenzo with the same passion as his flock. So what is it — divine providence, a amusing coincidence, or simply an Argentine way of seeing the world through the lens of football magic?The Same Goal: Divine HooliganismLet’s start with the fact itself. Maradona never concealed: he hit with his hand consciously, but he immediately came up with a legend that immortalized the moment. “It was the hand of God, not mine,” he said after the match. The Argentines, a deeply Catholic nation, embraced this phrase with enthusiasm. In their understanding, God really could intervene to punish the English for the Falklands War, which happened four years earlier. The sacralization of football hooliganism is a purely Argentine phenomenon. In no other country would a goal with the hand have turned into a national myth of such magnitude.But if you think about it, “The Hand of God” became not just a football episode but a religious gesture. Maradona raised his fist like a priest raises the gifts. The English still call it cheating, the Argentines — providence. And years later, a man who grew up with this myth and who himself bears the name Francis — in honor of the saint known for his simplicity and love for the poor — sits on the ... Read more