Diego Maradona, the Argentine football legend, told an English journalist in Doha on 2005 that he’d never apologize for the ‘Hand of God’ goal—and even joked he’d praise a young player for punching the ball into the net.

The interview, conducted in Qatar’s capital, captured Maradona at a rare moment of candor. He dismissed any guilt over the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal goal against England, telling the reporter, *“You have to use any advantage you can on the football field.”* When pressed about a hypothetical youngster scoring the same way, he grinned: *“I would say ‘good, very good.’”*

**Why Maradona Defended the ‘Hand of God’**

Maradona’s unrepentant stance shocked even his critics. The goal—where he punched the ball into the net with his hand—remains one of football’s most debated moments. Yet he framed it as sheer opportunism, a trait he admired in players. *“If they had VAR in 1986,”* he mused, *“England might have won.”* Ironically, he was an early VAR advocate, though he knew the technology would have cost him that goal.

His defiance extended beyond the pitch. *“Life is worth living again,”* he said, referencing his battle with cocaine addiction. *“I wake up every morning and see my daughters—that’s special.”* The 2005 interview, just five years before his death in 2020, showed a man who had turned his life around through family, not fame.

**How Maradona Compared Himself to Wayne Rooney**

Ahead of England’s 2006 World Cup campaign, Maradona singled out Wayne Rooney as his modern counterpart. *“He has the same characteristics as me,”* he claimed, though he added Rooney needed *“more guidance, more leadership.”* The comparison was bold—Rooney, then 20, was already England’s golden boy, but Maradona saw potential for greater impact.

**What His Mum Said About Being the Greatest**

When asked who was the best player ever—himself, Pelé, or Johan Cruyff—Maradona smirked. *“My mum says it’s me… and everyone listens to my mum!”* The quip underscored his self-deprecating humor, even as he remained the undisputed king of Argentine football.

**The Journalist’s Personal Connection to the ‘Hand of God’**

The reporter had history with Maradona. In 1986, he’d watched the goal in a Reading snooker hall and screamed *“you f***ing cheat”* at the TV. Decades later, Maradona shook his hand without resentment. *“He was gracious, kind,”* the journalist recalled. *“He insisted I could ask him anything.”*

The 2005 interview remains one of the last times Maradona spoke so openly about his past—his addictions, his family, and his unshakable belief in his own genius. Even in defending a goal that defined his legacy, he did so with a wink, proving that for Maradona, football was always about more than the rules.