Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God, Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt, Lionel Messi ‘completes football’ and the 100 most iconic moments in World Cup history – ranked
In 1982, Italy beat Germany in a superb final. The Azzurri won 3-1, but it is the image of Marco Tardelli wheeling away, having found the bottom corner from range to give his side a 2-0 lead, that remains etched in the memory of anyone who has seen the iconic clip.
Tardelli hit his shot, and as soon as the net ripples, he appeared to transform, returned back to his days as a boy, dreaming of reaching the pinnacle of the game, falling asleep and picturing this very moment, the ball beating the goalkeeper, the fans roaring, all because of one swing of his very own boot.
He was soon mobbed by his team-mates, but as he ran away, arms outstretched, hair covering his face as he shook his hhead in disbelief, it was hard not to be moved by the embodiment of achieving everything one set out to do.
A goal in a World Cup final, how would you celebrate? Exactly like Tardelli, most likely, and there’s something truly beautiful about that, a cord tying together fans and players.
