The story of the most remarkable—and controversial—World Cup triumph in history, told in a long-awaited firsthand account from Diego Maradona, its most legendary player.
“This is Diego Armando Maradona speaking, the man who scored two goals against England and one of the few Argentines who knows how much the World Cup actually weighs”
In June 1986, Diego Maradona—one of soccer’s greatest and most polarizing figures—proudly hoisted the World Cup above his head. Since then, Argentina’s World Cup victory has become the stuff of legend, particularly their infamous victory over England—only four years after the country’s defeat in the Falklands War—which featured arguably the best goal in history (Maradona’s “Goal of the Century”) and the worst (the notorious “Hand of God”). But Argentina’s victory came after months of struggle and discord within the team, including the Argentine government’s attempt to remove the team’s management, a lack of equipment that forced the players to buy their own uniforms, and an argument that caused the team’s captain to quit on the eve of the tournament. Now, thirty years after Argentina’s magical victory, Maradona tells his side of the story, vividly recounting how he led the team to win one of the greatest World Cup triumphs of all time.
“[Maradona] is an exuberant narrator, bursting with telling details.” —Simon Kuper, Financial Times
“Touched by God is a conversational book…. filled with fascinating details about the ’86 World Cup.” —James Zug, The Wall Street Journal
“[Maradona] pulls no punches…. The result is a rollicking book festooned with vicious critiques and frontal attacks. Many readers will appreciate a soccer memoir that throws elbows rather than blowing kisses.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Diego Maradona's retelling of Argentina's 1986 World Cup victory is a quixotic joy." —Noel Baker, The Irish Examiner
“The book’s greatest strength is that it feels unmistakably like 1986 all over again. It is rough-edged in parts but I loved every page.” —Brendan Crossan, The Irish News
