# Terry Butcher says Maradona’s Hand of God goal troubles him less now

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/terry-butcher-ive-learned-to-live-with-the-hand-of-god-goal-better/
- Published: 2026-11-15T08:00:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T08:20:16+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/nov/15/terry-butcher-ive-learned-to-live-with-the-hand-of-god-goal-better
- Topics: Football, Offbeat, Sport, UK, Weird & Viral, World

## Key points

- Butcher is less troubled by the Hand of God memory.
- He says Maradona never admitted handling the ball.
- He reflects on England, Robson and an unusual hotel stay.

## Summary

Terry Butcher says the memory of Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal still disappoints him, but he has learned to live with it and is less annoyed by it. The former England captain also recalls confronting Maradona after the 1986 World Cup match and says Maradona never admitted handling the ball.

In a reader question and answer, Butcher reflects on playing on with a bloodied, bandaged head during a crucial World Cup qualifier, saying he would not have chosen to leave the pitch, though medical practice would now favour taking him off. He also describes an unusual hotel booking near Stranraer that turned out to be a residential home for older people; Motherwell won their match there 4-0. Butcher has co-written a new book about Bobby Robson’s England team.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.