For the third time in a row, the World Cup spoke Spanish: after Argentina and Spain, it was Mexico's turn. The Central American country was hosting the tournament for the second time, after 1970; it was the first country to do so. Actually, FIFA had originally chosen Colombia, but economic hardships and politic controversies led the country to renounce their right in 1983. Mexico was a perfect plan B. Alternation between Europe and South America was safe and Mexico still had the stadia and infrastructure of sixteen years ago in good conditions. A bit of adaptation was supposed to be enough. Then came a hard test for Mexico: eight months before the tournament a devastating earthquake shocked the country, causing 10,000 deaths and even more casualties. Nevertheless the organisation was perfect. Everything was prepared for the biggest sporting exhibition in the world, amid vehement protests, comparable in some way to the ones seen in Brazil in these last months.

 

The format of the tournament changed: the second group stage disappeared and a round of 16 – a second round with direct elimination – took its place. Italy were the defending champions but they left the tournament in the new second round. It happened against France, who prevailed 2-0. The French reached third place at Mexico '86 after having won the European Championship just two years earlier. It was an “Italian”, Michel Platini, who punished the Azzurri as he scored the first goal, driving the Italian defenders mad. Italy's 1986 squad was a transition side between the 1982's last survivors and the first young talents who would shine at Italy '90. Franco Baresi, Fernando De Napoli and Gianluca Vialli were three of them. But Italy's leading player was another: Alessandro “Spillo” Altobelli, who scored four goals in the first three World Cup games. Other teams to make a good impression on the tournament were Denmark (eliminated in the second round), Butragueño's Spain (the team that eliminated the Danish before being cast out by Belgium), a Belgium led by Enzo Scifo and Jan Ceulemans and England. The three lions exited the World Cup in the quarter finals against Argentina in the most iconic clash of Mexico '86. In that game, Diego Armando Maradona was the absolute protagonist with two unforgettable goals. He scored the first one with his hand: the foul went completely unnoticed by the referee and El Pibe de Oro said that that was “la mano de Dios” (the hand of God). The second one was an authentic masterpiece: starting from his own half, he dribbled five opponents – including the goalkeeper Peter Shilton. According to FIFA website users, that was “the goal of the century”. 

 

Argentina then beat Belgium; they progressed to the final because they had the best footballer in the world (and, maybe, the best ever): Maradona. West Germany – at their second consecutive final - was waiting for the Albiceleste at the Azteca stadium. That team had two leaders: Lothar Matthaus on the pitch and Franz Beckenbauer on the bench. Matthaus was successful in a hugely difficult task: marking Maradona. But Argentina found in Jorge Valdano a valiant substitute: the South Americans took a double lead. But the Germans never threw in the towel and scored the equaliser in the 80th minute with Rummenigge and Völler. Three minutes later Maradona left his mark: a perfect assist for Burruchaga who beat the goalkeeper Schumacher to the ball. 3-2: Argentina was at the top of the world for the second time. And this time, no referees helped them. The key man was... an alien: Maradona seemed to come from another planet. After having paid tribute to O'Rey Pelé in 1970, Mexico watched another football legend reaching his top: El Pibe de Oro.

 

Diego Armando Maradona, 1960, 91 caps and 34 goals for Argentina. World champion in 1986. Talking about Maradona in a handful of words is a desperate feat. The footballer, the man who inspired – and keeps inspiring – novel, poetries, songs and films was an absolute football genius, one of the very few players able to win a game by himself with magic simply unthinkable for the rest of the human beings. The goal Maradona scored against England in 1986 is a sample of his skills: explosive bursts of speed, perfect dribbling and ball control, the foolhardiness to dribble even the goalkeeper instead of shooting, which would have been the easiest choice. Furthermore: his free kicks, his slyness and his killer instinct when he was inside the penalty box, his leadership and the ability to make his team-mates feel at his same level, even if there was a chasm between Maradona and any normal footballer. Maradona is Napoli and Argentina's greatest player ever. With Maradona, Napoli won two Italian titles – something that never happened until then and never happened since – one UEFA Cup, one Italian Supercup and one Coppa Italia. He released a city from decades of frustration. As we told on Serieaddicted, his relationship with Naples was intense, deep, authentic and sometimes even obsessive. Many men born in Naples in the 80s and the 90s bear Diego's name. Telling Maradona's story without mentioning his cocaine addiction is impossible. That plague bore him to two suspensions. The first one in 1991 coincided with the end of his affair with Naples. The second, during the 1994 World Cup (not for cocaine but for a stimulating substance) broke up his wonderful career, that continued only with sporadic appearances with Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors.

 

Michel Platini, 1955, 72 caps and 41 goals for France. It may seem incredible today, but in 1985 Platini, Zico, Falcao and Maradona played in Serie A at the same time, although for a few games only. Another refined protagonist of Mexico '86 was the French Michel Platini who – at that time – was a respected top player at Juventus. Gianni Agnelli fell in love with the talent of Platini. In 1982 “l'avvocato” fulfilled his dream: he managed to snatch him despite competition from Arsenal and Paris Saint Germain; the French club even offered more money to Platini's team Saint Etienne than Juve. He was a strange player: he scored more than a normal forward although he was an offensive midfielder. “I rave about goals, but I'm not a striker – Platini said - I begin my plays from afar, then I cut inside. I always admired the playmaker. When I was young my idols were Rivera and Mazzola." Platini's goal average was better than the two Italian legends' one: for three seasons in a row (1983-1985) he was Serie A's top scorer and in the same seasons he also won the Ballon d'Or three times consecutively, he was the first player to do so. Platini was elegant, practical and resolute. He gave evidence of his obstinacy at the beginning of his Italian affair; Platini struggled to familiarize with Serie A, due to his frail build above all. His perseverance and grit allowed him to pass the hardships and he soon established himself as one of the greatest talents ever seen in Serie A. His trophy haul is unbelievable: two Italian titles, one Coppa Italia, an European Cup, a Cup Winners' Cup, a European Supercup and an Intercontinental Cup. With the French national team Michel Platini was the best ever until Zidane's arrival: Le Roi (the king) was crucial for the conquest of 1984 European Championship, the first trophy ever for France.


Lothar Matthäus, 1961, 150 caps and 23 goals for West Germany/Germany. World champion in 1990. Mexico '86 was his second World Cup and another three were yet to come. Matthäus entered into World Cup history, putting his name on three amazing records: he played in five editions of the World Cup (alongside the mexican Carbajal), 25 caps in the final phases and 150 caps with the German national team. Matthaus' talent crossed two generations and can legitimately be compared to Beckenbauer, another legend and jack of all trades. Matthäus performed many roles on the pitch: he started as a defensive midfielder, then he was a great playmaker and, finally, he trasformed himself in a sturdy centre-back. He showed his best as a playmaker, a role that he interpreted in a peculiar way: his phisical exuberance and his drive toward the opponent's area became proverbial. He was very skilled on set-pieces, so it's unsurprising to see that he scored 121 goals in Bundesliga and 40 in Serie A. For Matthäus, Inter was a happy four-year hiatus between two long periods at Bayern Munich. With the black-and-blue jersey Matthäus won – as a leader – the Scudetto dei Record in 1988-89, reaching 58 points, a record in the two-points era. Two seasons later he also raised the UEFA Cup, a trophy that he won at Munich as well in 1996. His peak was the Italian World Cup in 1990. In the same year he won a fully deserved Ballon d'Or.

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