Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ jersey auctioned for $9.28 million
Diego Maradona's quarterfinal shirt from 1986 was auctioned off for close to $10 million.
Days before the third anniversary of Diego Armando Maradona’s death, history was made once more in his honor. The footballing world was stunned when the shirt worn by the Argentine star was auctioned off for a stunning $9.28 million at Sotheby’s in London.
The world record price was paid for the blue Argentina shirt worn by the #10 when he scored the historic ‘Hand of God’ goal against Peter Shilton. Diego Maradona achieved football fame when he led Argentina to a World Cup victory over West Germany in 1986. Maradona had his moment in the 51st minute when he sprang to head the ball over England custodian Peter Shilton.
The referee, however, overlooked Maradona’s use of his hand to nudge the ball beyond Peter Shilton’s grasp. This was regarded as the ‘Hand of God’ moment. Maradona’s #10 jersey beat the previous record of $5.64 million set by Babe Ruth’s match-worn jersey (1928-1930 New York Yankees). It also smashed the sports memorabilia record, which had previously been held by a $8.8 million original, hand-drawn Olympic manifesto.
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The story behind Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’
The Argentine wore the shirt in the quarter-final against England, which sold for a whopping $9.28 million. His first target, the hand of God, sparked debate. He came in minutes later and scored one of the most spectacular World Cup goals ever. FIFA later declared the goal to be the goal of the century.
After the quarter-final match, Diego Maradona switched clothes with England player Steve Hodge. The jersey, which had previously been turned down by all bidders, has been on exhibit in the National Football Museum since 2002. Despite early disagreements, Sotheby’s subsequently answered any doubts about the jersey’s legitimacy.
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