Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup ‘Hand of God’ shirt
(Picture: PA Wire)The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when Argentina played England at the 1986 World Cup has been sold for a record £7.1million.
The sporting legend, then aged 25, scored two of football’s most famous goals to dump England out of the quarter finals.
The first is infamously known as the “Hand of God goal”, as Maradona jumped with goalkeeper Peter Shilton and palmed the ball into England’s empty net.
The second, which saw the Argentinian number 10 dribble from the halfway line through England’s defence, was voted Goal of the Century by FIFA.
Maradona swapped shirts with midfielder Steve Hodge, who decided to sell it at auction, as revealed by the Evening Standard in April. The former Tottenham midfielder, 59, had earlier said the shirt was not for sale, following Maradona’s death in 2020 at the age of 60.
Sotheby sold the shirt for more than its estimated price, which was between £4m and £6m, at an auction which ended on Wednesday.
“This is arguably the most coveted football shirt to ever come to auction, and so it is fitting that it now holds the auction record for any object of its kind,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectables.
The previous highest fee paid for a shirt worn during a sports match was held by New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth’s baseball jersey, which sold for $5.6m (£4.4m) in 2019.
A member of that delegation, which includes Maradona’s family and a private memorabilia firm, told the Sun: “He is selling something that belongs to Maradona and the AFA without authorisation.
“It should be in Argentina so Argentines can enjoy it — and not for a millionaire to display it in his closet.”
