Former Nottingham Forest star Peter Shilton will never forget the moment the Argentine legend scored with his left hand to eliminate England against Mexico. But after 40 years of hurt, Shilton admitted it was time to “let it go” after meeting recently with the Argentine players who won the 1986 Cup.
“It’s been 40 years since that tournament. And, as you know, I met the Argentine people who were very warm and friendly towards me. I met the Argentine players a while back to make a documentary and I was very impressed. They were really great towards me. And I thought maybe it was time to put it to bed. That’s why I decided to do it.”
The official ‘make-up’ took place at Chelmsford FC’s football pitch in Shilton’s hometown. This was planned by Lynx, which flew with the company’s Argentina mascot in sponsorship of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mr Shilton said: “Controversial moments have a way of bringing the country together, whether it’s in the big picture or on the subways.
“Football is such a great sport. It brings countries and people together, and obviously certain moments are remembered for years to come, for better or for worse. That’s why it has such a great history.”
Shilton also claims that with modern VAR technology, Maradona’s two goals in a 2-1 defeat on June 22, 1986, would have been nullified. “If it had existed, both goals would have been disallowed. It’s that simple,” he said.
“You never know what’s going to happen in a game, so no one knows what the score would have been. But certainly those two goals should have been disallowed.”
“VAR can take quite a while to make a decision, so it slows down the game a little bit in that respect. But obviously, in the example of the quarter-final game in Mexico, I definitely think that neither of our goals were forgiven.”
Peter also spoke about who he is particularly excited about in the England squad, how far we can go, and potential teams outside England to keep an eye on in this year’s tournament.
“Conditions will have a big impact. The first game we played was obviously in an air-conditioned stadium.
“But when you go out in the real heat, you know it can be very draining. At least they’re hydrating during the game, so that will help.”
“I think Harry Kane is looking in great shape. He’s been playing in Germany and I think that’s helped him develop his game. He seems to be playing all over the pitch now. He was defending blocked shots on the night, he was clearly scoring goals in midfield; he was defending blocked shots on the night. He was clearly scoring goals in midfield.”
“I think Spain is a very good team. I think obviously France have some really good players. Brazil will always have a good team because of their past performance, but I haven’t seen a lot of them. But a lot of teams have really improved with their players going to Europe and playing, so they could be a player that surprises everyone.”
Lynx’s Zoe Thompson added: “As proud sponsors of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we want to show up in a way that no one expects. To settle one of the biggest grudges in football history? This is a pretty good start.”
