Most of you will know the name Steve Hodge, the England International footballer who played in that infamous ‘Hand of God’ match against Argentina at the 1986 World Cup.
Did you know that Hodge grew up locally?
Hodge grew up on Shelford Road in Gedling. He attended Stanhope Junior School and then Gedling Comprehensive School on Wollaton Avenue.
A left-footed midfielder who was comfortable in a central or wide position, Hodge joined Nottingham Forest as a 19 year old apprentice in 1980. He made his debut against Ipswich Town on the final day of the 1981 – 82 season.
Hodge played in a style that fitted into Brian Clough’s philosophy of passing football.
Hodge became a first-team regular the following season as the club tried to build a new young team after the side which won two European Cups began to age and disintegrate. Hodge was a frequent goal scorer from midfield as Forest consolidated their League position but were unable to push for trophies other than a semi-final in the UEFA Cup in 1984, where they lost in controversial circumstances to Anderlecht.
Steve was known at the club by his nickname Harry. He scored an impressive 30 goals in 123 appearances for Forest in his spell, and returned to the club later in his career scoring another 10 goals in 54 more appearances. At Forest, he enjoyed back-to-back Football League Cup-winning trophies in 1989 and 1990. He was also Nottingham Forest Player of the Year in 1983.
Hodge also played for Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United FC. His only other major domestic success was winning the League Championship with Leeds and he was also an FA Cup finalist with Spurs in 1987.
His main claim to fame in an England shirt is playing in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Hodge played a key role in the match against Poland, assisting striker Gary Lineker to score a famous hat-trick. Lineker went on to claim the Golden Boot as the highest goal scorer.
He is also known as the player who swapped shirts with Maradona after the quarter final defeat to Argentina. The game that saw Maradona leapt for the ball against goalkeeper Peter Shilton, only to let control the ball and score with his hand. Maradona followed this contentious goal with one of the greatest individual goals in football World Cup history, a goal popularly referred to as ‘The Goal of the Century’.
The Argentina v England match was the quarter-final played at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City in front of 114,000 fans. The game was held four years after the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, and was a key part in the already intense Argentina – England football rivalry. It was also a match which included two of the most well-known goals in football history, both scored by Argentina captain Diego Maradona.
The first goal, after 51 minutes, was the “Hand of God goal”.
The second, four minutes after his first, saw him dribble past five England players, Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher, Terry Fenwick, Butcher (again), and finally goalkeeper Peter Shilton. That goal became known as the “Goal of the Century.”
After the game, it was Hodge who swapped shirts with Diego Maradona.
Argentina won the game 2-1 and went on to win the 1986 World Cup with a victory over West Germany in the final.
After a career spanning nearly 20 years, starting on the pitches of Gedling School and peaking in a World Cup Quarter Final, Steve retired as player in 1998.
He has worked in football management and as a radio pundit.
In 2010, he published his autobiography entitled “The Man With Maradona’s Shirt” in 2010. Described as an ‘Intimate, behind-the-scenes account of the last age of innocence in football, just prior to the Premiership, based on the England midfielder’s diaries’.
In 2022, the Maradona shirt was sold at auction for a staggering £7 million.
