How Steve Hodge's Maradona shirt swap left England's dressing room furious after 1986 World Cup exit

Steve Hodge faced the wrath of his England teammates in the dressing room beneath the Estadio Azteca on June 22, 1986, after swapping his shirt with Diego Maradona — the man who had just punched England out of the World Cup quarter-final in Mexico City.

The match had already entered football folklore before the final whistle. In the 51st minute, Hodge’s sliced interception looped back toward goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and Maradona rose to punch the ball into the net with his left fist — a goal the Argentine would later describe as scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.” Four minutes later, Maradona produced one of the sport’s great individual goals, a 60-yard run that doubled Argentina’s lead. Gary Lineker pulled one back in the 81st minute, but England were eliminated 2-1.

When Hodge emerged from the tunnel clutching Maradona’s number 10 shirt, the mood inside the England dressing room darkened further. Teammate Kenny Sansom recalled the confrontation plainly: “Certain words were said in the dressing room. It was an angry place to be because we felt we’d been cheated. Some of us had a go at Steve Hodge asking why he wanted Maradona’s shirt when he was a cheat.”

Peter Reid, Hodge’s roommate at the team hotel in Mexico, was equally unimpressed when the shirt made a second appearance back at their room. “When we were in the hotel, he got the shirt out with the number 10 on it and says, ‘What about that then?’” Reid recalled. “So not only has Maradona battered me and handled one in, I’ve got Hodge showing me his shirt. Suffice to say, I wasn’t best pleased and I gave Hodgy the biggest bollocking he’s ever had in his life.”

The match was played just four years after the end of the Falklands War, a conflict that claimed 907 lives, and the fixture carried a weight that extended well beyond sport. Over 114,000 spectators packed the Azteca for what became the most politically charged game in World Cup history. The tense first half passed without incident, but the second half produced two of the most discussed moments the tournament has ever seen.

England and Argentina’s World Cup rivalry stretches back to the 1962 group stage, where England won 3-1, and continued through a contentious 1966 quarter-final, David Beckham’s red card in 1998, and a penalty shootout victory for England in 2002. The 2024 edition added fresh controversy, with Jude Bellingham involved in a post-match incident and members of the Argentina squad unfurling a banner referencing the Falklands War during their celebrations.

But it is 1986 that endures as the defining chapter — and the shirt Hodge retrieved that afternoon is now one of the most recognisable artefacts in football history.