How Maradona's 'Hand of God' quote went round the world

FILE PHOTO: Argentina's soccer team head coach Diego Maradona attends a news conference in Marseille, February 10, 2009. Argentina will play France in an international friendly soccer match at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille on February 11. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

LONDON (Reuters) - It became the most iconic sporting comment of all time but the English-speaking world very nearly did not get to hear Diego Maradona's pithy reflection on his infamous goal in Argentina's 2-1 defeat of England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Reuters sports correspondent Rex Gowar was in the bowels of Azteca Stadium after the match when Maradona confessed to the most talked-about piece of cheating in soccer history.