As many will be aware, Diego Maradona’s famous “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century” shirt was auctioned at Sotheby’s, London today.
If the £4-6m estimate was eye-watering, the floodgates will certainly have been opened with the eventual selling price of £7,142,500. Seller Steve Hodge - an opponent of Maradona’s in the 1986 match - should be quite satisfied with this particular result.
He may not have been so pleased with the outcome of the Azteca stadium quarter final in Mexico - after Maradona handled for the first goal and weaved his way past Hodge’s England teammates for what would prove the decider - but the shirt has proven to be a relic of football history with quite a value, and Hodge made quite a swap in the game’s aftermath.
As part of an emergency purchase by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) - the shirts were badged up for the game - it had quite a story before it even saw action. A mystery buyer now owns one of the greatest pieces of football memorabilia ever.
