ARGENTINA!
(as now, I'm sure Mexico won't be in the quartefinals, I think my team will be the team of Maradona and Messi, best player of the world!)
I still think Argentina will surprise and get this cup

I could never wish any success for Maradona. A truly foul man and a cheat.

maybe the real reason I wish Maradona succes is exactly this kind of undeserved atitude towards one of the best players of the world ever. a foul man cos he drugged himself?

besides, this is to give maradona more importance than he deserves as coacher. the ones who would win the cup would be the players, and I think the players do deserve the cup

Well you still don't disagree that he's a cheat?
I wasn't alive and I still dislike the man for what he did. Not the actual cheating, the way he went on to be proud of what he'd done etc.

Also, I would go one step further. If Argentina win, it will be in spite of Maradonna who is not a good coach.

@ Figle:

1 - You can't dismiss a man's life long career over one action. That is being resentful.

2 - As it was said when Henry gave France the qualyfication with a hand, his job is to try to win, the ref's job is to call fouls and hands. So, both Henry and Maradona did what they had to do, the refs didn't.

I don't know if he's a good coach or not, but Argentina has 2 goals from set pieces (we call them "jugadas preparadas", pre-set or prepared plays). I'm not 100% sure about Higuain's goal today, but Heinze's goal against Nigeria, you can see clearly that they where looking for him and Samuel was fending the defender off.

Also, this team is playing much more coordinated than they did with the previous coach (and with Maradona in the qualys). So all in all, I think he's doing a pretty decent job.

figle +1

I remember the 86 game. He waltzed through our defence twice, scoring once and hitting the post once. He is the best player I've seen play.

It's a shame that he is best remembered as a cheat, but that's what it was - cheating. And to be proud of it, that goes against everything that sport should represent.

" It's a shame that he is best remembered as a cheat, but that's what it was - cheating. "

I think it's only you (the englishmen) who remember him best as a cheat.

In the match today, a ball came his way and he sent it back with his ankle. The crwod went nuts.

Exactly.
I've watched the highlights of that match so many times, and each time I'm impressed by the goal he scored.

I just wish he hadn't cheated. We might have won, great. We might have lost, so be it.
But at least it would have been football.

@Xapi - I don't. He was a brilliant footballer. I have no respect for the man because having done something that was wrong, he then showed no sign of remorse in any way. I would add I have also long a lot of respect for Henry because of that incident, but there's a difference. I haven't heard Henry talking in an interview about how it was a good thing.

That said, as part of writing this post I did find that apparently he did finally apologise in 2008.

@Xapi - Maybe it is, but we have every right to remember that. When it comes down to it, Englands best chance of winning the world cup was lost because he cheated.
I'd be interested to know what Pete says, but for me it's the attitude that it was OK and you can do whatever you can get away with that makes me dislike him.

" 'I will be honest, it was a handball,' said former Arsenal striker Henry, 'but I'm not the ref. It would have been better to do it in another way, but as I said, I'm not the ref.' "

Doesn't sound sorry, all he did was ackowledge that it was a hand.

Maradona gave the "hand of God" comment, I don't see a big difference.

France-Mexico tonight, I think 0-0, but must trust in my team so 1-0

yes, i think they'll draw, though to be honest I'd prefer frace winning that mexico mathematically surviving in the most mediocre way. (of course if mexico wins i'd be very happy, but...what can I say?)

Maybe you're right. As I said, the fact Henry did that massively changed my view of him. Until then I don't know of a single thing he'd done wrong. He'd been a brilliant player, good gentleman, honourable captain and was respectful when he left.
However I won't forget that he did that to the Irish.

Do you think that was premeditated? That could happen to every player.

Good question, Figle, what would you have done?

If the ball is there you're likely to just touch it with your hand by instinct, what would you do then?

@Xapi

I'd argue that a professional football player's instinct would not be to touch the ball with his hand, given that it's an automatic card nowadays. It certainly shouldn't be, and reaching for the ball like that has to be done with the knowledge that it's a foul

Maradina was a diva :), still is. Anyone else would say it was instinct (which is usually true) but he went for the show. I somehow like him. And you have to admit Arg have spirit and seem to be enjoying themselves. That's massive for a team filled with stars.

@Pete U
You are correct - football players are trained to keep their hands away, however the natural instinct of any mammal, when it wants something, is to try and grasp it. It happens, and then we have intentional ones also.

@Figle
"Until then I don't know of a single thing he'd done wrong."

And you judge a person because of one INSTINCTIVE action?
You would probably do it the same way...

Both Maradona and Henry are much more than the handball they made... It's a shame that France and Henry are still crucified by people because they didn't deserve to be in the Cup...
How many bad judgments in football are made about penalties? hundreds... How many faked penalties have resulted in goals and victories and qualifications...?
I don't see anyone being crucified by that.

I'm sure that in the moment any of you (me included) would have acted the same way.
Football justice depends on the capacity of ref's to judge well...as they are humans there are mistakes...we have to accept that. Until tecnology is used this won't change.

" I'd argue that a professional football player's instinct would not be to touch the ball with his hand, given that it's an automatic card nowadays. It certainly shouldn't be, and reaching for the ball like that has to be done with the knowledge that it's a foul "

I disagree with the first part because of what Ivo said, but I agree with the second. Of course both Henry and Maradona knew that it would be a foul.

I'd also argue that if we consider Maradona a cheat for handling the ball knowing that, if caught, it would result in a foul, then any defensive player who makes a foul knowingly, and we see those every day, is just as much a cheat as Maradona is.

Exactly.

As pointed out there, Maradonna's was definitely intentional, Henry's seemed more an instinctive thing.
@Cham - I think that it was slightly. Not helpful, my point is that he saw an opportunity and took it rather than not.

What would I have done? Hmm, good question indeed. Definitely not what Maradonna did.
But Henry? I wouldn't have been too worried playing on after the first contact, which was ball to arm, but to then control it with my hand? No - I wouldn't have.

Now, as with lots of posts, the caveats. Firstly, I used to play for a club's youth team & my school, and at both was told off by coaches for being too honest and not playing to the whistle. Also I know having your nation riding on your shoulders is more likely to lead to a rash decision.

Fouls are part of the game... if everyone was that honest as you say you are, games would have no fouls...right? So, each game we see a considerable number of fouls... Is every player a cheat for that?
You make this fouls more important because they were crucial in certain games... but they are similar as any other not well judge by a ref... No point in calling a very good player a simple cheat.
I've seen players have worse attitudes as agressions but they are not usually remembered for that... are they?

Do you remember Zidane for hitting Materrazi or for doing some of the more beautifull things in football?

I remember him for 'that goal' back in the champions league, but I won't forget he lost it.
That's a slightly different issue I think though - that wasn't an attempt to gain through cheating, that was just a man loosing his temper. He apologised for what he did in getting himself sent off and the effect that had on French chances, but not for head-butting Materrazi.

No quite clearly that does not mean there will be no fouls. I don't have a problem with there being fouls in a game: what I have a problem with is deliberate fouls. Its one thing to get caught offside, or to catch someone with a mistimed tackle. Its quite another to punch the ball into the net. There's nothing wrong with making mistakes!

Aggression: what do you mean? If you mentioned Robbie Savage, 'chopper' Harris etc, I would remember them for their aggressive tackling styles. Players like Gattuso & Materazzi will always remembered for breaking up opposition play using whatever means necessary (lets be under no illusions Zidane wasn't provoked, and that's far from the first time).
I reckon I could name quite a lot of people famous for their aggression on a football pitch.

I should really stop second guessing my picks... I originally had France v Mexico as 0-1 and when I saw that pick last night, I was like, "What the hell, I know France is doing poorly, but really?" and I changed it to 1-0. =/

checkmate, you so sure about Mexico now? 2-0!

"Its one thing to get caught offside, or to catch someone with a mistimed tackle. Its quite another to punch the ball into the net."
You are wrong figle...both are fouls that should be judge by the ref.

Just tell what would you do in this example:
you are with the ball and only the other team goalkeeper in front of you. You are offside and you know it, but somehow the referee didn't see it... you score or you stop and give the ball to the other team? I mean you cheat or you do something honest?