Peter Shilton has revealed that he is ready to put “the beef to bed” over the infamous ‘Hand of God’ moment between England and Argentina back in 1986. Shilton was England’s captain and goalkeeper for one of the most iconic World Cup matches of all time during the 1986 tournament as Argentina’s Diego Maradona scored twice in the quarter-final which was played at the Azteca Stadium in front of 115,000 fans. Argentina won the game 2-1 but Maradona’s first goal was controversial in that he clearly tipped the ball past Shilton’s using his hand, a move which has incensed the England legend for over 40 years. Maradona then scored the “goal of the century” eight minutes later after dribbling past the majority of the English team before firing past Shilton in goal. In an interview with The Telegraph on the eve of England’s return to the Azteca Stadium for their World Cup 2026 last-16 encounter with Mexico, Shilton explained that a recent trip to Buenos Aires had softened his anger over the outcome of that match four decades ago. “I’m not going to mention names,” Shilton said, “I’ve put the beef to bed because it’s 40 years now and it’s ironic with this game [being at the Azteca].“I’ve been holding a bit of a beef for many years. I’ve been over to Buenos Aires in recent years and the people over there were fantastic towards me. They were brilliant to me. Inside, I thought it’s time to put the beef to bed… obviously Maradona’s no longer with us.”Diego Maradona scored the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal past Peter Shilton in 1986 (Getty)Of the ‘Hand of God’ moment itself, Shilton is still assertive in his recollection of what happened. “I was second best going for the ball because he [Maradona] got in the first run,” Shilton recalled. “So, as a goalkeeper, you’ve got to get the ball if you decide to go. And I was getting the ball. That’s why Maradona punched it in. He would have headed it otherwise. It’s as simple as that.“Everyone in the stadium saw the handball except the referee and linesman. But it’s left a lot of people, who don’t judge the situation, making comments. You can’t win. I know the truth.”England’s Harry Kane during a training session at Club Universidad Nacional, Mexico City (PA Wire)Speaking further of his memories of that famous clash in 1986, Shilton admitted concern for the current England team having to play at the Azteca on such little notice. “I fear a little bit for England because we had a month in Colorado with the heat and altitude to get acclimatised in 1986,” he said. “It takes that long and England are going straight in. They’re not going to be able to adjust to the altitude, and obviously the heat’s going to be a problem as well.“I know the England fans will make a lot of noise but obviously there’ll be more Mexican fans. It brings a lump to your throat to see how much it means. And if they do beat Mexico, then we’ve got to start believing that we’ve got a great chance.”