In soccer, memorable goals are generally linked to the players who scored them. Few can be recalled without mention of the individual – or even the team – involved.

Yet, two goals in one game 40 years ago have attained that status. One is known universally as the “Hand of God,” and the other is widely acknowledged as the “Goal of the Century.” Both were scored by Argentine star Diego Maradona against England in the quarterfinal of the FIFA World Cup at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on June 22, 1986.

The goals, scored just minutes apart, are among a handful that are immediately recognized decades later – and they hold special resonance in Argentina. Their perceived importance was such that when in 2012 Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner inaugurated a “Gallery of Popular Idols” at Casa Rosada, the country’s presidential palace, the exhibit included photos of both goals.

But it was the “Hand of God” that stood out, with the iconic capture of Maradona’s outstretched arm punching the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton placed front and center, jumping out at visitors.

A year after the Gallery of Popular Idols was installed, I toured it with a group of international college students from a study-abroad program led by my wife. Knowing that I was a philosopher of sport, members of the group asked me an ethical question: Why was a goal scored illegally – it should have been disallowed as an obvious handball – given such prominence in the presidential palace? The same could be asked of the place it holds in the Argentine consciousness now, with the image common in murals, T-shirts and in songs.

As I explained to the students, to understand why that game and those goals by Maradona – of the 34 he scored for the national team – have become so entrenched in the Argentine imagination, it is necessary to reflect on the complex history of Anglo-Argentine relations.

Anglo-Argentine relations

From the late 16th........

© The Conversation