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Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' Jersey Sells for Record $9.28M at Auction
May 4, 2022
It was almost a perfect $10 million for arguably the most famous No. 10 jersey in soccer history.
Tom Hamilton of ESPN reported the jersey Argentina star Diego Maradona was wearing when he led his side to a dramatic 2-1 victory over England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals sold for $9.28 million at an auction at Sotheby's in London on Wednesday.
Maradona scored both of Argentina's goals in the win, although the first one was not without significant controversy.
He punched the ball into the goal, but the referee did not rule it a handball. It was deemed the "Hand of God" goal because he later said it was "a little from the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God."
Maradona's second goal was a moment of brilliance, as he dribbled through seemingly England's entire defense and finished what was later termed The Goal of the Century by FIFA.
Argentina advanced past England and eventually won the World Cup with a 3-2 victory over West Germany in the final.
Hamilton noted the $9.28 million price broke the record price for a game-worn jersey and for a piece of sports memorabilia. Babe Ruth's 1928-1930 New York Yankees jersey previously sold for $5.64 million, and the original hand-drawn Olympic manifesto previously sold for $8.8 million.
Hamilton reported Sotheby's made sure the jersey was independently verified by Resolution Photomatching after Maradona's daughter, Dalma, said it was not the correct one. The jersey came from former England midfielder Steve Hodge, who swapped his with the Argentina star after the game, but Dalma said that was the jersey her father wore in the first half and not when he scored the goals.
Maradona died at the age of 60 in 2020.