The shirt sold for £7,142,500 at auction
The football shirt worn by Argentina legend Diego Maradona when he scored two of the most famous goals in history has sold at auction for over £7million.
The attacker wore the famous blue jersey as he bagged the ‘Hand of God’ goal early in the second-half of the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England.
Maradona jumped in the air and touched the ball past Peter Shilton with his fist to put his country ahead, completely unbeknown to the referee. He later suggested that the goal was made “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.
Just minutes later, Maradona scored a sensational solo goal – beginning his run from inside his own half and weaving between several Three Lions players before calmly slotting home.
Despite Gary Lineker’s late consolation goal, Argentine progressed to the semi-finals. After the full-time whistle, Maradona swapped shirts with England midfielder Steve Hodge, who continued to own it while loaning it to Manchester’s National Football Museum for two decades.
Selling the famous shirt
Hodge decided that he wanted to sell the famous shirt earlier this year, with Sotheby’s arranging the auction with bidding open from April 20 until May 4.
On Wednesday (May 4), it was confirmed that Maradona’s shirt had been sold for an eye-watering £7,142,500 – making it the shirt the most expensive match-worn sports jersey in history.
BREAKING: The shirt worn by Diego Maradona in the ‘Hand of God’ game against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold at auction for £7,142,500 👇 pic.twitter.com/hUONX1yZVn
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 4, 2022
“I have been the proud owner of this item for over 35 years, since Diego and I swapped shirts in the tunnel after the famed match,” Hodge said upon putting the strip up for sale.
“It was an absolute privilege to have played against one of the greatest and most magnificent football players of all time. It has also been a pleasure to share it with the public over the last 20 years at the National Football Museum, where it has been on display.
“The Hand of God shirt has deep cultural meaning to the football world, the people of Argentina, and the people of England, and I’m certain that the new owner will have immense pride in owning the world’s most iconic football shirt.”
Confusion prior to the sale
Prior to the shirt being sold, there had been some confusion about whether the shirt on the market was actually the one Maradona scored his famous goals against England in, due to the fact that Argentina wore separate shirts in each half of the match at the Estadio Azteca.
However, Sotheby’s, who worked with Resolution Photomatching, were able to prove the shirt Hodge sold was indeed the one that he wore in the second half.
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