The jersey worn by the legendary Argentine football player Diego Maradona to score the famous “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup has been sold for a record £7.1m.
This is the highest amount ever paid for a sports memorabilia.
Former English midfielder Steve Hodge has auctioned off the Argentina National Team jersey, which he bought from Maradona, after the famous quarter-final match played in Mexico, after 36 years.
Hodge said the jersey was not for sale after Maradona passed away in November 2020.
“People are constantly knocking on my door,” Hodge complained and denied reports that he wanted to sell the jersey.
“I find it disrespectful and completely wrong to sell. It’s not for sale. I’m not trying to sell,” said the former English football player.
Sotheby’s auction house, which organized the auction, expected the jersey to sell for between £4 and £6m.
The highest price for a jersey worn in a previous match was New Yok Yankees legend Babe Ruth’s baseball jersey.
The jersey sold for £4.4 million in 2019.
The same year, the original of the Olympic manifesto, written in 1892, was also sold for £7 million.
Former Nottihgham Forest, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Tottenham midfielders, 59-year-old Hodge, exchanged his jersey with Maradona in the exit tunnel after their 2-1 loss.
The Le Coq Sportif jersey was last displayed at the National Football Museum in Manchester.