Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt sells for $12m
The shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored his “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold for a record £7.1m ($12.3m)
The jersey, which fetched the highest price for a shirt worn in a sports match, was sold by Steve Hodge, the England player who swapped shirts with Maradona.
The quarter-final in Mexico City is one of the most memorable matches ever: Maradona scored Argentina’s first goal by punching the ball into the net. Hodge played a part after unintentionally flicking the ball to him. Four minutes later Maradona scored what may be the greatest goal ever, when he slipped past England’s midfield and defence to score. England lost 2-1 and Argentina went on to win the tournament.
Hodge was criticised for swapping shirts by his teammates, who were furious at the illegal first goal.
Hodge, 59, had resisted lucrative offers after Maradona’s death in 2020 but it was sold at Sotheby’s in an online auction.
It far exceeded its estimate of £4m-£6m.
An Argentinian delegation launched a late bid to buy the shirt. The group, consisting of Maradona’s family, a private memorabilia firm and the country’s football association, wanted to put it in a Maradona museum.