Ex-England man who played in Hand of God game expects Argentina demons to be exorcised
Peter Reid, who played in the Hand of God game in 1986, feels England “will beat” Argentina, and exorcise demons from the infamous game.
The Three Lions face Argentina on Wednesday in the World Cup semi-final. It’s their second time reaching that stage in the last three tournaments, while the Argentines lifted the trophy four years ago.
A clash against such a nation is a big one, with historical rivalry between the two countries for political reasons, as well as the fact Diego Maradona scored with his hand against England in the 1986 quarter-final, in which his side won.
Reid, who played in the infamous Hand of God game, feels Argentina will be beaten this time.
He told The Mirror: “Do I think we have enough? I think we will beat them.
“We have not been great but we are finding a way. With [Harry] Kane and [Jude] Bellingham, you always have a chance. I know they have [Lionel] Messi, but I still think we will beat them.
“With [Thomas] Tuchel and Anthony Barry, and I know him very well, I think we will have enough to combat Messi. Look at the four teams in the semis; they are all quality sides. From the outside looking in, and knowing a little about it, England have a good spirit.
“Thomas Tuchel seems to get his substitutions right, I honestly believe they will beat them. In 1986, the group stages were in Monterrey, but the Paraguay game in Mexico and the match against Argentina were sensational.
“I have played in big games all over the world, but for political reasons that 1986 quarter-final was unbelievable.
Was Maradona the best?
Reid has named multiple players who rivalled Maradona for the title of the best players he’s seen.
“Was Maradona the best of all time? Dixie Dean, Tom Finney, Sir Stanley Edwards, Duncan Edwards, Messi, Di Stefano, George Best, Dennis Law – how do you compare?” he said.
“It is so difficult to say. I think Diego was absolutely outstanding, but it is impossible to say who was the best in the world. Now you have every game shown and analysed on social media; nowadays there is no physical contact in my opinion.
“They are great athletes, but they do not have to face what the players did in my day. Howard Kendall used to tell me, ‘Get into them early doors, get an early tackle in.’
“I used to say ‘Gaffer, you say that every f***king week.’ How would Messi deal with that now? With VAR, they have sanitised the game. I still love it, I still go, still watch it, and I am still passionate about it.
“I think France will beat Spain, and I am not sure if we will beat France in the final, but Kane and Bellingham are not bad – with them, we always have a chance. Bellingham’s first goal against Norway was brilliant, his first touch was great. So we have a great chance of doing it.”
READ MORE: England will ‘put Lionel Messi to bed’ with ex-Three Lion ‘100 per cent’ certain on result
