Argentines celebrate 35 years of Maradona's goal of the century

Buenos Aires - To remember the feat, Argentines took to their windows, balconies and gardens to shout 'Gooooooooool!'

It was 35 years ago (June 22, 1986) that Diego Maradona taught England to play, and the date did not go unnoticed in Argentina, where his compatriots remembered his ‘goal of the century’ with a nationwide celebration of cheers and applause.

Maradona scored twice against England in a 2-1 win in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, the second of which was a solo goal often classed as the greatest goal ever scored.

After picking the ball inside his own half, Maradona went on a magical run, dribbling past four England players before beating the goalkeeper to score the greatest individual goal ever seen in World Cups.

To remember the feat, Argentines took to their windows, balconies and gardens to shout “Gooooooooool!” at precisely 16:09, the exact moment the ball hit the net at the Aztec Stadium on June 22, 1986.

“The goal was so incredible that it sent the whole country into a delirium,” recalled Leonardo Oliver, a Buenos Aires muralist.

When Maradona died last year the country went into mourning with displays of grief that illustrated just how much he meant to a nation that has not won the World Cup since he took them to the title in Mexico in 1986.