Already a member of the pantheon of coaches in football history, the legendary Brian Clough faced a major challenge: to rejuvenate the squad of the two-time European champion Nottingham Forest. After accomplishing an impossible feat for a team that in five years had gone from military in the English second division to winning the European Cup twice, the English genius had a favorite among the names he had chosen for the renewal: Stephen Brian Hodge.
Known worldwide as the owner of the Argentinian jersey with which Diego Armando Maradona materialized the Hand of God and scored the best goal in football history in the second half of the quarterfinals of the 1986 Mexico World Cup, Hodge was born in Nottingham on October 25, 1962. A football fan, he grew up admiring the world champion Brazil who in 1970 amazed the world with a number 10 quintet that is recited by heart: Pelé, Tostao, Jairzinho, Gerson and Rivelino.
At the age of 15 he joined the club in his city and was a privileged witness to the most glorious days of a Nottingham Forest that today plays again in the second category of England. Fine and elegant midfielder, he could play both in the middle and on the flanks. Hodge combined his outstanding offensive presence, creative to assist his teammates and with a considerable scoring odds, with a defensive commitment that made him a player ahead of his time.
Brian Clough immediately adopted it as one of his new symbols: “He was very smart. His management of the players was brilliant. He knew me since I was a kid and he knew which buttons to push me to make me angry, because I knew I was a better player when I got angry. He told me something sarcastic about my dress, about my haircut, in a fun way that made people laugh and I knew it would bother me,” Hodge recalled years later in an interview with Champions Speaker.
His debut came on the final day of the 1981-82 season against Ipswich Town, the first performance of a stage that lasted until 1985 when he was transferred to Aston Villa. During that first era, Hodge played 123 games, scored 30 goals and was chosen as the player of the year by the club's supporters in 1983 before being sold for 450,000 pounds.
His cycle in the Villains was brief and with ups and downs, just a season in which he did not live up to the expectations projected by his talent. Tottenham was his next stop, a stage in which coach David Pleat decided to place him on the left in an attack reminiscent of Brazil in the 70's with five strikers. It was on White Hart Lane that he teamed up with Osvaldo Ardiles in a formation that succumbed in the FA Cup final in 1986-87.
But Clough was always on the lookout for Hodge, who he rejoined Nottingham Forest in 1988. Once again a permanent presence in his formation, he was part of the ensemble present in the tragedy of Hillsborough, that fateful April 15, 1989, in which 97 people were crushed against the fences of the stadium after an avalanche. His second stage lasted three years, relegated by the appearance of the great Roy Keane, who moved him to the substitute bench in the fall in the FA Cup final at Wembley against Tottenham.
That decision by Clough was the end of his time in Nottingham and Leeds United disbursed 900,000 pounds to incorporate him into their discipline. Although he struggled to maintain his regularity as a starter, he contributed seven goals in 23 games to the cause of the English First Division champion. Some were decisive, such as the one he scored on September 21, 1991 in the 1-0 victory over Liverpool. Hodge was the team's third top scorer behind Lee Chapman and Rod Wallace, who scored 16 and 11 goals respectively.
That was the last starring appearance of Hodge, who in 1994 left Leeds in a race that was beginning to die down. After a loan to Derby County, he wore the shirts of Queens Park Rangers and Watford before emigrating to Hong Kong on an exotic, short-lived adventure. On his return to England he signed with Leyton Orient of the English deep rise but barely played a game before his definitive retirement.
Beyond his career at the club level, it was his performances with the England jersey that popularized his name globally. Hodge, at the time at Aston Villa, had played just three games with his national team when Bobby Robson, who had built an amazing UEFA Cup champion Ipswich Town and who would later lead PSV, Porto, Sporting, Newcastle and Barcelona, listed him as one of 22 called up to face the 1986 Mexico World Cup .
The English campaign started with an unexpected defeat to Portugal and an even more unexpected draw against Morocco. Hodge had entered as a substitute against the Portuguese and repeated against the Moroccans due to the injury of Bryan Robson, star and captain of Manchester United who was considered one of the best players on that squad. Faced with the sensible loss, the coach bet on Hodge to replace him in the starting formation ahead of the urgent duel against Poland. Outstanding in the victory against the Poles, in the round of 16 he built the first of three goals with which England beat Paraguay to get into the top eight of the tournament.
With the 18th stamped on the back, Steve Hodge started at the Azteca Stadium against Argentina on June 22, 1986. In an emotionally charged encounter, he was the silent protagonist of an afternoon that would define the rest of his life: his 315-page autobiography published in May 2010 has an image marking Diego and is titled “The Man with the Maradona Shirt”.
But the exchange of shirts that happened after the game and made Hodge a global celebrity by keeping one of the most precious treasures in football history was not the only story that involved the English midfielder on that Mexican day. Hodge was unwittingly the one who served Maradona the ball to score the goal with his hand in 51 minutes. Hodge, who scored Jorge Valdano almost inside the box as Maradona advanced through the gate of the English area, tried to interrupt Valdano's control but, instead of clearing the ball, decided to try a backward pass to his goalkeeper.
At that time, the rules stated that the goalkeeper could take a pass from a teammate with his hands, a law that motivated Hodge to try a cross back so that Peter Shilton would catch the ball. But Maradona took the opportunity, beat Shilton in the jump and scored with his fist to unlock the partial 0-0 on the scoreboard. Hodge did not add to the immediate complaints of his companions because of Diego's definition: years later he acknowledged that at that time he had not seen the hand of God.
Four minutes later, Hodge would once again witness an unforgettable moment: he was meters away from Maradona when, after Hector Enrique's pass, he began the career that crowned the best goal in football history. Despite Gary Lineker's discount nine minutes before the end, England said goodbye to Mexico and Argentina celebrated one of the most important wins of all time.
As his teammates stormed off to a boiling locker room, Hodge stood on the field to answer Jim Rosenthal's questions in a two-minute interview. After fulfilling his media obligation, Hodge went down the ramp to the locker room and met Maradona, who was waiting to comply with the anti-doping control. It was then that Hodge recalled a tip from Brian Clough at a meeting between Nottingham Forest and Barcelona held in 1984: the coach had recommended to his squad that they keep some memory of the Ten.
In Mexico, Hodge did not hesitate and asked for the shirt. Without knowing it, the Englishman had taken a garment that decades later would be quoted in millions of dollars. Already in the English locker room, Hodge put it in his bag before the eyes of an angry squad. Such was the atmosphere inside that even some of his colleagues questioned him about the exchange, a proposal they held over time.
Hodge's jersey was short-lived in the hands of Maradona, who changed it with Oscar Garré to get Gary Lineker's number 10. Hodge is still, at least until it is auctioned at Sotheby's from next April 20 (they expect to raise between 5 and 8 million dollars), the owner of the jacket that became a relic on the sacred land of the Aztec and that, as if it were a talisman, transformed his life forever.
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