(Football news) Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, has always been a controversial figure. His ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup is one of the most controversial and iconic goals in history and the jersey worn by the legendary Argentine while scoring the goal has now become the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia.
The jersey was put up on sale by former England midfielder Steve Hodge who swapped jerseys with Maradona after the quarter-final match at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. According to Sotheby’s (the auction house), the jersey sold for higher than the estimated price of £4m and £6m. In the last few years, Steve Hodge has publicly reiterated that the iconic jersey was not for sale, especially after Maradona’s death in November 2020, despite the overwhelming number of interested buyers.
Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of streetwear and modern collectables said “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.” Previously, the most expensive jersey ever sold at auction was a New York Yankees jersey by baseball legend Babe Ruth which sold for $5.6 million in 2019. That same year, the original Olympic manifesto, penned in 1892, sold for $8.8m (about £7m), becoming the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia at that time.
The jersey has been on display since the last 36 years, most recently at the National Football Museum in Manchester. In its online listing, Sotheby said that the jersey on sale matched the exact jersey Diego Maradona wore while scoring the two goals in Argentina’s 2-1 win over England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup. His second goal of the match was voted the goal of the century in a poll conducted by football's world governing body FIFA. Led by Diego Maradona, Argentina subsequently went on to win the Jules Rimet Trophy after defeating West Germany 3-2 in the World Cup final.
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