The 10 grossest handballs ever

Thierry Henry reacts after dubious goal (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

The Thierry Henry handball became the biggest talking point after yesterday's final run of matches to decide the last six entries to the World Cup in South Africa. Although he admitted that he did indeed play the ball with his hand, he placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of the referee. Whether that is the right thing to do is neither here nor there at this point, unfortunately for Giovanni Trappatoni and the Irish. But this incident is why the cry to the heavens emerged once again for the game to rid itself of its archaic ways and quit justifying gross human error and keeping it as a part of the game.

Here are 10 of the grossest handballs ever based on their blatancy and importance in a particular tournament.

10. The Hand of Eboue- Arsenal vs. Wigan
Talk about starting out with the wrong hand. Emmanuel Eboue was called for a hand ball early in the match against Wigan. The problem with this one was that he didn't score and he got booked. All was forgiven as his effort that game made him the man of the match in the fans' eyes and the Gunners rolled to 4-0.

9. The Hand of Scholes- Manchester vs. Zenit St. Petersburg (European Super Cup 2008)
The first two on this list were so blatant that even a ref looking the wrong way had to call it. Many of us make fun of Paul Scholes for not being the most skilled tackler in the world; you can add heading to the mix. Paul Scholes scores goals, but in the European Super Cup he goes up in the air and gets rave reviews for his volleyball skills. This little act of athleticism cost him a second booking and left Manchester United with ten men as the Russians went on to win the title over the Red Devils.

8. The Emperor's Hands- Adriano (São Paulo vs. Palmeiras)
Here is two-time offender Adriano scoring with his hand in two of the biggest matches in Brazil and Italy respectively. This first one occured in the final of the Paulistao in 2008 against Palmeiras while he was on loan in Brazil from Inter Milan.

Inter Milan- AC Milan

7. The Hand of Wellington Silva- Parana vs Ceara 2009
Ceara were fuming mad after Wellington Silva either grew 10 inches or hit the ball with an extra appendage that was growing out of his head. Of course the goal was allowed and a fight soon broke out right before halftime.

6. The Hand of Tulio- Argentina vs. Brazil (1995 Copa América semis)
Not all handball calls have gone Argentina's way. Tulio made the Albiceleste know how the other half felt when he brought down a cross cleanly with his arm. He collected the ball and chipped it over the goakeeper to equalize the semifinal. Brazil would lose to Uruguay in the final that year, which was held at the mythical Estadio Centenario.

5. The Hand of Maradona's Son-in-law- Atlético Madrid vs. Recreativo 2007
Sergio Agüero sort of started to take off after this goal. This is arguably the grossest offense as Agüero knocks the ball into the back of the net by punching it in with both hands.

4. The Hand of Messi- Barcelona vs. Espanyol 2007
This was another incident that made Lio be compared even more. What was sadder was that Bruno Vain condoned this goal. He screamed like this was the other that Maradona scored against the English. Somehow karma did come around for Barca that year as Real Madrid won the title.

3. The Hand of Titi- France vs. Ireland
This finish will be talked about for ages. It doesn't rank in the top two as there were more important things that were being played for. All you can say is that Thierry Henry did his best Jason Kidd imitation when he no-look passed the ball to William Gallas. The goal at the 113th minute left Ireland out and people once again clamoring for technology to step in as it would prevent these types of gross mistakes.

2. The Hand of Kempes- Argentina vs. Poland 1978 World Cup
Hosts Argentina were facing a tough task as they faced 1974 semifinalist Poland in Rosario. Mario Kempes scored the first goal of the match, but Poland came back strong and were firing away at the goal defended by Ubaldo Fillol. In one instance, Zbigniew Boniek came in and after a flurry of shots, Fillol was sprawled on the ground leaving the Poles with a wide open net for Gregorz lato. The shot was taken and Mario Kempes came flying in and slapped the ball out with his hand. Kazmierz Deyna, who was earning his 100th cap, had the honors of kicking the penalty, but a weak roller was saved by Fillol and that was the end of the Polish attack. Kempes scored once again and Argentina put themselves in prime position for their first World Cup title.

1. The Hand of God- Argentina vs. England 1986 World Cup quarters
This is the one that made the handball what it is today. The "Hand of God" made kids feel slick if they were able to get away with such an act of artful dodgery. For a 5'5" Maradona to beat out a taller Peter Shilton, he either had to have springs in his feet or "divine intervention." Right after the England match he was asked if he used his hand to score the goal. His response was that it was the "Hand of God" that scored. It stuck. He always claimed that the goal was the "Hand of God," until a few years ago when he finally admitted that it was his hand that touched the ball, and not God's. Although, for many Argentines this is confusing and at times redundant, as they believe that Maradona and God are one and the same.