Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt sells for record £7.1 million
The blue shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored two momentous goals to knock England out of the 1986 World Cup, including the socalled "Hand of God" goal, has sold for a record-breaking sum at auction.
The Argentinian player, hailed as one of the greatest of all time, described his opening handball goal in the quarterfinal as "a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God".
He then dribbled the ball past a host of England players to score again against goalkeeper Peter Shilton. That strike was later voted the "goal of the century".
England midfielder Steve Hodge, who had unintentionally flicked the ball to Maradona in the Hand of God play, swapped shirts with his rival after the game and has owned it ever since.
The shirt, which has spent the past 20 years on loan at the National Football Museum in Manchester, went under the hammer yesterday for £7,142,500, marking an auction record for any item of sports memorabilia.
Sotheby's described the number 10 jersey on its website as in "good overall condition consistent with heavy use, perspiration and athletic activity" with "slight dethreading on hemming on the front bottom of shirt, and minor spots throughout".
Brahm Wachter, its head of streetwear and modern collectables, gushed: "This historic shirt is a tangible reminder of an important moment not only in the history of sports, but in the history of the 20th century.
"In the weeks since we announced the auction we have been inundated by sports fans and collectors alike, with a palpable excitement in the air for the duration of the public exhibition, and this unfiltered enthusiasm was echoed in the bidding.
"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."
The game came four years after the UK had defeated Argentina in the Falklands War and took on greater significance for both countries as a result.
The previous auction record for sports memorabilia was the original autographed manuscript of the Olympic Manifesto from 1892.