The shirt worn by Argentina hero; Diego Maradona when he scored the famous “Hand of God” goal against England in 1986 has been sold at auction for over £7million.
Maradona’s iconic blue No10 shirt was bought by an anonymous bidder after a month-long online war, and the staggering price tag has made it the most expensive match-worn shirt ever.
The winning bid was made at the last minute of the sale after the £4m reserve had already been matched.
The final winning bid was £7.142m. It beat American baseball player Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees top worn between 1928-30 which fetched £4.4m when it was sold in 2019.
25-year-old Maradona scored what many believe to be the greatest goal of all time, starting his run in his half and weaving between helpless England players before slotting home. The breathtaking effort was subsequently dubbed the ‘Goal of the Century.
After the match, Maradona swapped shirts with Three Lions midfielder Steve Hodge, who continued to own it while loaning it to Manchester’s National Football Museum for two decades. The 59-year-old decided to sell up earlier this year and Sotheby’s arranged the auction with bidding open from 20 April until 4 May. The winning offer was worth an eye-watering £7,142,500, making the shirt the most expensive match-worn sports jersey in history.
“I have been the proud owner of this item for over 35 years since Diego and I swapped shirts in the tunnel after the famed match,” Hodge said upon putting the strip up for sale. “It was an absolute privilege to have played against one of the greatest and most magnificent football players of all time. It has also been a pleasure to share it with the public over the last 20 years at the National Football Museum, where it has been on display.
“The Hand of God shirt has deep cultural meaning to the football world, the people of Argentina, and the people of England, and I’m certain that the new owner will have immense pride in owning the world’s most iconic football shirt.”
The previous most expensive match worn football shirts are believed to be Lionel Messi’s Barcelona top from a 3-2 win over Real Madrid in 2017, which sold for around £360,000 earlier this week, while a shirt worn by Brazil icon Pele in the 1970 World Cup final fetched £157,000 back in 2002.
