the jersey of the “hand of God”, worn by Diego Maradona, auctioned

It is a gesture that has forever marked the history of football. This “hand of God” in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup helped make Diego Maradona a sports legend. The jersey he wore that day was collected by one of his England opponents, Steve Hodge, after the game. “He was a few meters from me, I took off my shirt, I went to him, he joined his hands in thanks. And then we exchanged our shirts”remembers the England midfielder in 1986.

“The shirt stayed in a bag, in my attic, for 16 years”, adds Steve Hodge. A mythical object that Maradona wore when, after eliminating six English single-handedly, he scored what is considered the greatest goal of all time. The jersey is sold at auction, with a starting price set at 4.8 million euros. Yet the Argentines should never have worn it. “At the last minute, the coach felt that the cotton jerseys they were using would be too hot (…). So they bought these nylon jerseys and put them together at the last moment”Explain Brahm Wachter, Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectibles at Sotheby’s.