The shirt had spent the last 20 years on loan at the National Football Museum in Manchester, before being put on sale at London-based auctioneer Sotheby’s in April.
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Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt sold for a record price of £7.1 million
The no.10 jersey worn by Diego Maradona when he scored his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England has been sold for a record-breaking £7.1 million at an auction.
Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt sold for a record price of £7.1 million
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An opening bidding price of £4 million was made for the shirt but it has now been sold for £7,142,500, a new auction record for an item of sports memorabilia.
The former Argentina captain scored twice in the semi-final of the 1986 World Cup as his country knocked England out of the tournament.
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His first strike came under controversial circumstances after he used his hand to prod the ball into the net on the blind side of the referee.
Maradona’s second goal, however, encapsulated his elegance and magic, as he dribbled from his own area through a sea of English bodies, before rounding goalkeeper Peter Shilton to score.
Argentina went on to win the World Cup that year following victory against Germany in the final of the tournament.
Maradona's 1986 'Hand of God' shirt
Getty Images
But in the aftermath of that memorable semi-final game, Maradona exchanged his jersey with England player Steve Hodge.
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Although the buyer of the shirt was not identified, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles, Brahm Wachter, said they received several bids.
“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,” he said, as quoted by the Guardian.
“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.”
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He added that the jersey has “deep cultural meaning to the football world, the people of Argentina and the people of England.”
“It was an absolute privilege to have played against one of the greatest and most magnificent football players of all time.”
Maradona died in November 2020 at the age of 60 but his controversial ‘Hand of God’ goal remains one of football’s debated topics and was voted goal of the century in a 2002 poll.
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