Diego Maradona’s iconic shirt sold for 7.1 million pounds

The famous jersey, which was worn by legendary footballer Diego Maradona when he scored two of the most famous goals in the history of soccer game has been sold for 7.14 million pounds ($8.93 million) on Wednesday.

The sale of the jersey marked a new auction record for an item of sports memorabilia.

Notably, Maradona had worn Argentina’s famous No. 10 shirt during the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-final against England in Mexico. During the game, Maradona had put his team ahead by netting a goal six minutes after the half-time. The goal was known as the “Hand of God” goal.

Four minutes later, Maradona dribbled from his own half to score a goal widely considered one of the greatest in the history of soccer World Cup.

Notably, the then England midfielder Steve Hodge had received Maradona’s jersey after the match. Last month, he had announced that he will be putting the famous jersey for auction after 19 years on display at England’s National Football Museum.

“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,” said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables.

The sale broke the previous record for sports memorabilia set by the original autograph manuscript of the Olympic Manifesto from 1892, which went for $8.8 million in 2019.

However, the sale of Maradona’s jersey had come under controversey as there had been claims that the wrong shirt was going under the hammer, with his daughter and ex-wife saying Hodge received the shirt Maradona wore in the first half of the match.

Sotheby’s said they used photomatching technology to “conclusively” match the shirt to both goals by “examining unique details on various elements of the item, including the patch, stripes, and numbering”.

Maradona, regarded as one of the world’s best-ever footballers, was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award and had passed away in November 2020 when he was 60.

After his retirement, Maradona had served as the coach of Argentina’s national football team in November 2008. He was in charge of the team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa before leaving at the end of the tournament. Later, he also coached Dubai-based club Al Wasl in the UAE Pro-League for the 2011–12 season.

In 2017, Maradona became the coach of Fujairah before leaving at the end of the season. In May 2018, Maradona was announced as the new chairman of Belarusian club Dynamo Brest.

From September 2018 to June 2019, Maradona was coach of Mexican club Dorados. He was the coach of Argentine Primera División club Gimnasia de La Plata from September 2019 until his death in November 2020.

News Desk

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