The 1986 Fifa World Cup in Mexico stands out among the other editions for one particular reason. It saw the best football played by the greatest ever player to ever grace the game, Diego Armando Maradona.
But football was almost robbed of this glorious chapter in its history.
In 1985, as Argentina began their six-match World Cup qualifying campaign, Maradona, who was making a return to the national team after three-year rest period, was attacked by a Venezuelan fan after the team landed in the country to play the match, according to FourFourTwo.
Maradona injured his meniscus in the knee in the process but known to smile in the face of adversity, he not only played that game but also scored twice in a 3-2 win for Argentina.
Despite a knee injury that kept getting worse, Maradona soldiered on to help Argentina win their next three matches.
“I am Maradona, who makes goals, who makes mistakes. I can take it all, I have shoulders big enough to fight with everybody,” he had…
