One sports fan this weekend took home an important piece of soccer history: the ball Diego Maradona famously punched into the net with his left hand against England during the 1986 World Cup. The controversial “Hand of God” goal helped knock England out of the tournament, just four years after the two countries fought the Falklands War. It also cemented a fierce football rivalry that resurfaced at this year’s World Cup, when Argentina’s football association was fined more than $300,000 after players paraded a banner reading “the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) are Argentine.”
Hard Numbers
A ball that's about much more than sports
Will Fitzpatrick
By Will FitzpatrickAugust 24, 2026
Will Fitzpatrick
Will Fitzpatrick is a multimedia reporter and producer at GZERO, where he does a little bit of everything: writing for the GZERO Daily, creating social videos, producing GZERO World, and whatever else the news cycle throws his way.
Before GZERO, Will worked in documentary film on both the production and post-production sides, including on Everest: The Other Side and on The First Wave. He has also directed and produced two short documentaries of his own. Outside the film world, Will has worked as a freelance journalist, with reporting that has taken him from the dhow workshops of Oman to the mountains of Patagonia, with plenty of stops in between. He’s especially interested in the niche, hard-to-reach, and underreported stories that reveal something bigger about how the world works.
Will studied economics and world politics at Hamilton College and received his Master’s in journalism from New York University. When he's not reporting, you can likely find Will tending to his oyster farm, on a bike, or somewhere outdoors.
