HE famously said the 'Hand of God' was the reason Argentina put England out of the 1986 World Cup.

But now Diego Maradona, considered by many to be the greatest footballer of all time, has raised his hand for the For Luca appeal, which aims to raise £1.5m to help a Newport boy who lost both his legs hrough meningitis.

This picture of him raising his hand showing For Luca, and the number 10, the number on his shirt, has been posted on the For Luca campaign Twitter and Facebook pages.

Maradona played in the 1986 World Cup, where in the tournament's quarter-final, he his infamous goal against England via an unpenalised handball - which he dubbed the 'Hand of God'.

Alongside the picture was the message: "Well! What can we say? The Hand of God raised for an amazing 4 year old boy!"

Last year Luca Williams was given a 3 per cent chance of survival after being struck down by meningococcal septicaemia on January 6.

He spent two weeks in a drug-induced coma in intensive care and ultimately lost his lower legs to the condition.

This inspired his parents, Mo Syed and Sian Williams, to launch the Raise Your Hands for Luca campaign to raise awareness of the disease.

Luca's parents have received a huge amount of support in their bid to raise £1.5 million, with the fund currently standing at £189,650.08.

The money will be used to buy prosthetic legs for Luca throughout his lifetime.

Celebrities have lent their support by posing for pictures with "For Luca" written on their hands.

Pop Star Pixie Lott, members of the Wales rugby team and Formula one drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber are amongst those who have supported them.

The campaign joined forces with The Tree of Hope Children's Charity to help future fundraising.

The national charity set up a just giving page to collect donations and offers fundraising ideas.

A spokesman for the Tree of Hope said: "What wonderful news. One of the greatest football players of all time, and one indeed with a hint of notoriety, particularly if you are an England fan, has given his support for Luca in this way."