Video: When Maradona was king I Maradona, a slum and the birth of a legend I Diego returns to Hampden I A genius to rank alongside Pelé I Butcher feels injustice 22 years on I Welcome to the Maradona circus I Maradona lifted by chain reaction I Debate: Maradona: hero or villain? I Maradona turns tables over Hand of God

The first question about the “Hand of God” goal was brushed away by Diego Maradona, who makes his bow as the coach of Argentina against Scotland at Hampden Park tonight. But when the second landed, it was time to make his point. Holding his hands a foot apart like a fisherman showing the one that got away, he asked how the English could keep lecturing him about his World Cup punch when they celebrated a goal in the 1966 final that was the wrong side of the line. “By this much,” he said.

The point was less to do with 1966, or even 1986, than what he regards as the sanctimonious lecturing from Englishmen about his moment of deception in Mexico City.

Did an English footballer never do anything sneaky? Did Michael Owen never throw himself to the ground in the penalty area? Did Paul Scholes not punch a goal against Poland? (He did, quite blatantly, in March 1999 without anyone in England agonising over the morality.)

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Maradona chose to cite Geoff Hurst's second goal against Germany in 1966, the legitimacy of which is still being debated 42 years later, but the point was a wider one - get over it, he was saying, these things happen in football and in life. And not just from South Americans brought up in shanty towns but from respectable English gentlemen, too.

“I would say to the young lady,” Maradona said, showing his manners yesterday when pressed on the Hand of God incident by a female reporter, “that I don't think it is fair that anyone should judge me when stuff like that [the 1966 goal] went on. It was this much before the line. They just didn't have action replays in those days.”

His answer drew a belly laugh but then this was Scotland. Outside Buenos Aires and Naples, he could not have chosen a more hospitable venue for his debut as an international coach.

Scotsmen queue up to shake his hand, the one that punched the ball past Peter Shilton. They even serenaded him outside Argentina's hotel in the centre of Glasgow yesterday. “You put your left hand in, you put England out,” a gaggle of fans in kilts sang to the tune of the hokey-cokey.

A huge card from The Scottish Sun giving “A big hand to Diego” is gathering signatures, including that of Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister.

The only exception to all this bonhomie is Terry Butcher, the Scotland assistant manager, who was captain of the losing England side in 1986 and is still smarting. He has said that he will refuse to shake Maradona's hand if they meet by the dugouts.

Almost blinded by flashbulbs as he arrived for yesterday's press conference, Maradona seemed as unperturbed by this revelation as you might expect. The man who made even his opponents famous, such as Andoni Goikoetxea, the Butcher of Bilbao, briefly seemed tempted to ask “Terry who?” “I don't understand why Butcher has this attitude,” he said. “If people are fine with me, I'll greet them. But I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. If Butcher doesn't want to shake my hand, I'll still be alive tomorrow.”

It brought a laugh, but mostly Maradona was out to play it straight. He will never persuade us that he is just another coach, but he is doing his best in trying circumstances. The difficulties of blending in were highlighted last night when Sergio Agüero, the forward who just happens to be the boyfriend of Maradona's youngest daughter, had to leave the camp and fly to Madrid because of her apparent pregnancy complications. This would be Maradona's first grandchild.

But if there is a circus following him around Glasgow, it is not of his making. He has moved around with as little fuss as is possible when you are a living legend. He insisted that training at Hampden Park last night be conducted behind closed doors so that he could get on with his job. For his press conference, he turned up right on time and his demeanour was stern and serious. A diamond stud glinted in one ear but his tracksuit was zipped right up to the neck; he was buttoned up with his words, too.

Maradona admitted that his behaviour this evening may depend on how the team perform, but short-term improvements should not be difficult. A decent group of players are in need, like England pre-Capello, of a confidence boost and a cuddle. Maradona will make them feel better about themselves. He is hugely charismatic and, as a captain for Napoli and Argentina, he was extraordinarily popular in the dressing-room.

The real tests will come when a fitful World Cup qualifying campaign resumes in the spring, but Maradona does not lack for playing resources. And by then, he will expect to be able to call on Lionel Messi and Juan Román Riquelme, both absent in Glasgow, as well as Agüero.

Argentina have not won the World Cup since Maradona lifted the trophy in 1986 and have gone no farther than the quarter-finals since reaching the final in 1990. But he insisted yesterday that he is looking only to the summit. “First and foremost, I only have one objective and that is to win the World Cup,” he said. “There is no point thinking about making it into the last four. With the players that we have, that has to be our goal and that is what I will be striving to achieve.”

Was he not making life difficult, having already exposed himself, an inexperienced coach, to all this scrutiny? “I don't feel any pressure whatsoever,” he said. “If I hadn't accepted that offer, I would be a coward. I need the Argentine side and they need someone to guide them.”

The world waits to see if he is the right man. This evening's match has drawn media from all over the globe, which must be a first for a Scotland friendly. Maradona demands attention in a way that few sportsmen have done. Pelé is regarded with respect; Maradona with fascination.

As he spoke yesterday, Ricardo Villa and Osvaldo Ardiles stood at the back; three Argentina World Cup winners in one room. We can hardly discover in 90 minutes if Maradona has a hope of creating another glorious era, but we may begin to sample his philosophy of football; whether he intends to be of the school of César Luis Menotti or Carlos Bilardo. Menotti was loved by Maradona for his adventure even though he left him out of the 1978 World Cup squad; Bilardo, now an assistant to Maradona, was an astute tactician but rather more functional as he claimed the 1986 World Cup.

Selection, tactics, decisions, decisions for Maradona. Then there are all the cares of management; the morale, the discipline, the events beyond his control. None of us, least of all El Diego, can be sure how he will cope.