The soccer jersey worn by Diego Maradona during the 1986 World Cup quarter final against England – when he scored a controversial goal nicknamed the “Hand of God” and another voted by soccer fans as the “Goal of the Century” – is hitting the market for the first time and is expected to sell for more than $5.2 million.
Argentina's Diego Maradona flies past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton after using his fist to score ... [+] the opening goal, the infamous "Hand of God."
The No.10 Argentina jersey is being sold by former English midfielder Steve Hodge, who swapped shirts with Maradona – a longtime post-match tradition in soccer – after Argentina won the game 2-1 and moved on to the World Cup final, which they won against Germany.
Hodge was the one who accidentally kicked the ball up toward Maradona and allowed him to strike the ball into the goal with his fist, a violation of the game’s rules that was only permitted to stand by the referees because they did not have a clear view of what transpired.
Just four minutes later, Maradona scored another goal against England in what FIFA fans voted in 2002 to be the “Goal of the Century,” after he picked up the ball midfield, and in 11 touches in 11 seconds, drove the ball 60 yards down past four English players to score a second time.
The jersey has been on display for the past two decades at the National Football Museum in Manchester, England.
Online bids on the shirt will be accepted from April 20 until May 4, according to Sotheby’s, and the kit will be on display at the auction house’s London showroom during that time.
For 35 years, the jersey has been in the possession of former England player Steve Hodge after he ... [+] traded kits with Maradona.
Maradona outjumps England Shilton to score with his hand.
Argentina’s 1986 win against England was especially meaningful coming only four years after the Falklands War, a 10-week military dispute over the control of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Maradona later called the goal he scored with his closed fist “some sort of symbolic revenge against the English” in an interview for a 2019 documentary.
“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,” Hodge said in a statement.
If the Maradona jersey breaks an auction record. It’s on track to surpass the most expensive soccer jersey ever sold at auction, the No. 10 jersey worn by Pelé during the 1970 World Cup final in which Brazil defeated Italy. It fetched $225,109 during a 2002 auction in London, according to Guinness World Records. If the jersey exceeds the $5.2 million pre-sale estimate, it could also go head-to-head with the $5.6 million Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth, which is the most expensive game worn item ever sold at auction.
$8.8 million. That’s how much the original Olympic Games manifesto – which led to the modern revival of the Ancient Greek competition – sold for an auction in 2019, which remains the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold. The proposal to hold a modern Olympic games was written by Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the International Olympics Committee and is remembered as the “father” of the modern Olympic Games.
Maradona, who died of a heart attack at age 60 in 2020, is widely remembered as one of the best soccer players to ever live. In May 2021, seven medical professionals in Argentina were charged with "simple homicide with eventual intent" in connection with Maradona’s death. Last month, Maradona’s family released a joint statement denouncing the way the soccer star was treated during the final weeks of his life. Maradona and Pelé were jointly named the Player of the Century by FIFA in 2000.
The jersey has been displayed at the National Football Museum in Manchester for 20 years.
Soccer Legend Diego Maradona Dead At 60 (Forbes)