LE SCAN SPORT – The number 10 shirt worn by Diego Maradona in the famous Argentina-England quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup, and whose authenticity has been disputed, will go on sale this Wednesday.
The number 10 on the back is a bit erased, the iconic blue of the Argentine selection has not moved, like the yellow crest of the Argentine Football Federation opposite the Coq Sportif logo which equipped the 1986 world champions On Wednesday, one of the most iconic jerseys on the planet that was worn by Diego Maradona during the World Cup quarter-final in Mexico will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in London.
Small purses abstain. The estimate of the experts of the famous American auction house oscillates between 4 and 6 million pounds. But the offers could push prices much higher for a tunic that has gone down in history in more ways than one.
Firstly because it belonged to Diego Maradona, who died on November 25, 2020 and that the “Golden Boy“, then at the zenith of his career in the mid-80s, took his selection to the roof of the world. But also and above all because with this jersey on his shoulders, the striker scored the most commented on goal in history, with his hand, the first against the English who were finally eliminated (2-1). That day, the referee had let himself be fooled by the malice of the player leaping into the air by pretending that he had touched the ball with his head.
Maradona was to invent an expression that remained cult to justify the unjustifiable in front of the media around the world by evoking divine inspiration: “God’s hand“. A few minutes after this goal, the n°10 had shaken the nets a second time after an exceptional slalom in the opposing defense started from his half of the field. An achievement described asgoal of the centuryin 2002 during a vote organized by Fifa collecting 340,000 opinions.
Maradona’s daughter disputes the authenticity of the jersey
But is this coveted piece of textile the real jersey worn by the South American legend on that day in June 1986? Doubt is allowed. Diego Maradona’s daughter claimed it was the shirt worn in the first half. That of the second, where the goals were scored, would have been given to an acquaintance whose identity she did not wish to reveal…
Steve Hodge, consignee of this auction offer and English international during the famous quarter-final, claims to have obtained this precious jersey at the end of the match. He had recounted the scene of the exchange in a book, God’s hand. «On the way down, Maradona was walking around with two of his teammates. I looked him in the eyes, I pulled on my jersey as if to say “no chance to trade?”, and he came straight up, said a prayer, and we swapped shirts. And that was it.He had then entrusted his “treasure” to the National Football Museum in Manchester since 2002.
Before organizing the sale, Sotheby’s carried out a meticulous authentication of the piece by calling on a company specializing in this type of research and which relies on the study of images, Resolution Photomatching. The experts confirmed that Maradona had indeed changed his shirt during half-time, but the one offered for sale was indeed that of the return from the locker room, the “God’s hand“And you”goal of the century».
Towards a record broken with the Maradona jersey?
How high will the bids go, 7 million, 8 million, 10 million or more? The market for sports objects has exploded in recent years and a record is widely conceivable. This is currently attributed to the manifesto of the modern Olympic Games written in 1892 by Pierre de Coubertin. Party for $8.8 million in New York in 2019.