Today I was cleaning my bookshelf when I found an old Argentina jersey. That got me wondering – did Diego Maradona ever actually win the World Cup? I remember folks arguing about this at the pub last month.
My Deep Dive Started Simple
First I grabbed my phone while eating toast. Typed “Maradona World Cup win?” straight into Google. Expected a quick yes/no, but damn – top results showed fancy stats pages and long documentaries. Scrolled past three ads before spotting a fact box saying he won in 1986. Paused my chewing. But then I saw another site mentioning 1986 Argentina squad details without confirming his role. So confusing!
Digging Through the Mess
Decided to check proper sources. Went downstairs to my laptop where I keep football archives. Opened FIFA’s official World Cup records PDF – took forever to load. Control+F typed “Maradona” and bam! There it was:
- 1986 Mexico: Captain of Argentina
- Played all 7 matches
- Scored 5 goals including that England handball everyone fights about
- Got Golden Ball for best player
Cross-checked with my 90s Panini sticker album – found his sweaty Mexico photo with trophy lifted high. Even my neighbor Julio (massive football nerd) yelled through the window “Claro que sí! 86 fue su mundial!” when I asked.
The Final Piece
Still bugged me why people question it. Dug deeper into news archives. Oh! Realized the confusion comes from 1982 – Argentina got knocked out early that year. Plus Maradona got red-carded against Brazil. So some folks mix up his failed tournament with the legendary 86 run. Mystery solved while drinking mate.
So yeah the dude definitely won it. Wild how misinformation spreads though. Should fact-check before shouting “handball devil!” at screens during replays.
