The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored his infamous “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup is now worth millions of pounds sterling.
Auctioneer Sotherby’s said on Wednesday that the shirt is expected to sell for at least £4 million pounds ($5.23 million.) The price translates to N2.25 billion in Nigeria. The shirt is owned by former England midfielder Steve Hodge.
He had swapped shirts with Maradona after Argentina won the match 2-1, thanks to two goals by the forward. The second goal was a solo effort considered to be one of the greatest ever scored. It was Hodge’s attempted back pass that Maradona chased before using his hand to push the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton for the first goal.
Following Maradona’s death in 2020, Hodge had said the shirt was not for sale. Brazilian great Pele’s jersey from the 1970 World Cup final is the most expensive football shirt sold at auction, according to Guinness World Records. It fetched 157,750 pounds in 2002, over three times the expected price.
Maradona, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986, is widely considered one of the greatest ever footballers. He attempted coaching but did not make a success of it. He however died at the age of 60 in 2020 due to a cardiac arrest.
