Diego Maradona's Hand of God Jersey Set to Become the Most Expensive Shirt of All Time

• Opening bid has been placed at a whooping 4 million pounds
• Maradona wore the shirt during the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal match against England
• He scored the "hand of God" goal and the "goal of the century" while wearing that shirt

The shirt won by Argentina legend Diego Maradona during the infamous “hand of God” goal is set to become the most expensive jersey in history. The shirt has been set up for auction by London-based auctioneer Sotheby.

The auctioneer has already received an initial bid of 4 million pounds. And with the bid period open all through to May 5th, you get the feeling that someone else may put in a higher price.

Maradona wore the shirt in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England when he scored one of the most controversial goals in football history. He used his small figure to dupe the referee by using his hand, instead of his head, to score.

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He would later on claim that the goal was scored a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God. Hence the now famous term, “hand of God.”

Goal of the century

He also scored another goal that was voted the Goal of the Century in the same match. He embarked on mazy run, dribbled past almost the entire England squad, before dispatching the ball past a hapless Peter Shilton.

Argentina won that game 2-1 and proceeded to the semifinal where they beat Belgium 2-0 to set up a final with West Germany. Albiceleste saw off the Germans 3-2 in a closely contested game in Mexico City.

After the semifinal, Three Lions defender Steve Hodge approached Maradona and they swapped shirts. Hodge has been the custodian of the coveted shirt for the last 35 years.

Maradona’s daughter had cast doubt on whether that was the blue shirt that his father wore in that match. Sotheby has however confirmed that the store did its due diligence to prove that it was indeed the shirt worn during the semifinal.

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The store expects the final offer to exceed the set target of 6 million pounds. The current record is held by the jersey worn by Babe Ruth for the New York Yankees. Ruth’s jersey was sold at an estimated figure of 4.3 million pounds in 2019.

Maradona was 25 years old at the time and at the peak of his career. He is a revered cult figure in his home country and across the football divide. He passed on in 2020 from a heart attack.

Argentina fans want Maradona's heart in Qatar

Earlier, Sports Brief had reported that Argentina fans had launched a bizarre campaign for Maradona's heart to be taken to Qatar.

The fans want the heart to be flown to Qatar with the national team for the FIFA World Cup. The former captain and national team coach was buried without his heart as investigations continue over the cause of his death.

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