New Order: Touched By the Hand of God

Track of the Week - 17 January 2021

Some of my Lockdown 3 TV watching this week was the 2019 documentary film Diego Maradona.

Rather than try to cram Maradona's whole life story into a couple of hours it concentrates on his time with Italian club S.S.C. Napoli from 1984 to 1991. The film shows unquestionably the best player in the world at the time lifting perennial strugglers from an unfashionable (and unpopular) city to two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup.

It doesn't shy away from his chaotic life off the field either and his descent from hero to hate figure. I won't spoil it too much, it's a great watch.

The World Cups of 1986 and 1990 are covered too. The Spanish-language commentary of his 'Goal of the Century'* against England in the quarter-final shows you how much football can mean to people. His 'Hand of God' goal in the same game gets a mention too.

New Order's Touched By the Hand of God was a 1987 single that reached number 20 in the UK. The video is a spoof of the hair metal bands that were heavily featured on MTV at the time.

 

* Genius! Genius! Genius! There, there, there, there, there, there! Goaaaaaaaal! Goaaaaaaal! I want to cry, oh holy God, long live football! What a goal! Diegoal! Maradona! It is to cry for, excuse me! Maradona, in a memorable run, in the best play of all times! Cosmic kite, which planet did you come from, to leave so many Englishmen behind, for the country to be a clenched fist crying for Argentina? Argentina 2, England 0! Diegoal, Diegoal, Diego Armando Maradona! Thank you, God, for football, for Maradona, for these tears, for this Argentina 2, England 0.