In a way, you have to feel sorry for Peter Shilton.
England’s most capped footballer, a man of many achievements, is clearly still fuming over what happened 34 years ago in the trivial setting of a football game. If he was only able to move on, he would likely be a happy man.
Let it go man.
Diego Maradona, a global legend of the sport and certainly one of only a handful who can claim to be the greatest of all time, has died aged just 60. Yet within hours, Shilton was openly abusing a man who brought joy. Millions around the world.
Just sensational? pic.twitter.com/7IcyGGpqUe
— Diario Olé (@DiarioOle) November 25, 2020
A newspaper column written hastily in response to terrible news had the opportunity to be big, sympathetic, and focused on the big picture. He blinked briefly at the idea of respect, but by the second paragraph he was repeating the same tired ‘cheat’ narrative.
This was the tone deaf response of a bitter old man.
If Shelton were to post ‘AITA’ on Reddit about Maradona, the answer would be yes, Peter, it’s you. You are an ass.
Maradona’s passing calls for a celebration of his life and all the wonderful things he did. He inspired generations of footballers, becoming an icon in Italy and a deity in Napoli, while his legacy will live on long after his death. Reacting by sticking the knife in and highlighting his flaws tells you more about the man who makes such comments.
Maradona won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986 / STAFF/Getty Images
The ‘Hand of God’ has its rightful place in football folklore. But Shilton stands by it. His claim that, somehow, Maradona scored his only try against England later in the same game at the 1986 World Cup, later dubbed the ‘goal of the century’, as the first is pathetic. And laughing.
“It’s haunted me for years,” sounds like an understatement. Shilton, now 71, has held onto that anger for half his life and doesn’t seem like he’ll be free of it anytime soon.
Refusal to accept it does not look good.
Yes, it was wrong to allow the ‘Hand of God’ to stand, but it is far from the first or last piece of fraud in football.
For all the tabloids out there with the Hand of God on their front page pic.twitter.com/BECC9uHobW
— Football Ramble (@FootballRamble) November 26, 2020
Using it to stigmatize someone who just died, when they had so much life, is pretty despicable. Maradona did much in that 1986 tournament alone to be positively remembered for, let alone the rest of his career and life.
“I hope it doesn’t tarnish Maradona’s legacy,” Shelton said, concluding his scathing column, having used the previous 721 words to do just that. The only legacy to be tarnished, Peter, is yours.
Gary Lineker was also on the pitch for England that day in Mexico. But instead, he used his platform on BT Sport to deliver a moving tribute to his personal memories of Maradona.
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