There are already offers for the "Hand of God" t-shirt 3:57
(CNN Spanish) --
"Diego Maradona T-shirt from the hand of God with Glenn Hoddle."
This is how the London auction house Sotheby's announced the sale of the shirt that Diego Maradona wore in the 1986 World Cup match in Mexico against England itself.
The news caused a stir in the world of football.
The jacket arrived at Sotheby's through Steve Hodge, one of the protagonists of that memorable afternoon.
Hodge, a former midfielder for the English national team, assures that he exchanged the jersey with the king of soccer at the Azteca Stadium once the match was over.
The auction of the historic shirt opened on April 20 and will be valid until May 4.
More than US$5 million are expected to be raised.
The former English soccer player was present on the lawn of the Azteca, neither more nor less than in one of the unforgettable moments of Maradona's sporting life.
That day "Fluff" scored two goals against England in a match that would become part of the great history of the sport.
The first of the goals is remembered as "the hand of God", since Maradona did it with his hand.
The second was called "the goal of the century", given the sublime creation that the 10 drew on the field.
With his speed and skill, Maradona snubbed half the English team, including goalkeeper Shilton, who fell in love with the Argentine star's masterpiece. With that genius, Maradona acceded to the throne of king of football.
Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" T-shirt is estimated to sell for more than $5 million at auction
His sporting feat turned this shirt into a trophy in itself, something that Steve Hodge had in his possession since that World Cup.
Hodge assures that he had met Maradona before the competition in Mexico and that they even played together.
That coincidence took place on May 1, 1986, before the World Cup in Mexico, on the occasion of the tribute that Tottenham Hotspur paid Argentine Osvaldo Ardiles at the White Hart Lane stadium.
There, Maradona and Hodge, with numbers 10 and 11 respectively, played with the white jacket of the popular English team.
"We played on the same team. There was a connection on and off the field. We couldn't speak each other's language, but we had a language together when we played on the field," Hodge told Sotheby's catalogue.
“I remember that, in the tunnel, before the game... He looked at me and we recognized each other because we played that tribute game together at White Hart Lane (Tottenham stadium).
So we had that connection before the game," she added.
Sotheby's has confirmed that the blue jersey to be auctioned is the one worn by Maradona in that legendary match.
To confirm this, studies have been carried out with high-quality images, according to what the auction house told several media outlets after a controversy arose over the sale of the emblematic jacket.
In Argentina, the news caused a great impact, especially in the family circle of the star.
Claudia Villafañe and Dalma Maradona —respectively, ex-wife and daughter of Maradona— affirmed that the shirt in question is not the one Maradona wore in that match.
Both were contacted by CNN for more details on their version, but as of this writing we have not received a response.
On June 22, 1986, Argentina eliminated England from the World Cup in Mexico in the quarterfinals.
There, Maradona showed his hallmark of greatness.
Days later he would lift the world cup, which for many would make him the best footballer of all time.
The soccer star passed away on November 25, 2020, but his name is as alive as ever.
Diego Armando Maradona
