File photo: A pedestrian walks past a mural in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 25, 2021, the first anniversary of the death of the late football legend Diego Armando Maradona in La Boca. REUTERS / Mariana Nedelcu
Buenos Aires – Diego Maradona’s shirt was put up for auction on Wednesday when he scored two of the most famous goals in football history, but his family claimed the wrong shirt went under the hammer and it was difficult to sell.
Maradona wore shirt number 10 in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England in Mexico. In the sixth minute of the second half, he hid the ball into the net and gave Argentina the lead, a goal known as the “Hand of God”.
Just four minutes later he dribbled a great second from his own half that regularly topped the survey as the greatest goal in World Cup history.
England midfielder Steve Hodge received Maradona’s jersey after the game and announced on Wednesday that he was putting it up for auction after 19 years for display at the England National Football Museum.
London-based auctioneer Sotheby’s expects the shirt to sell for at least মিল 4 million ($ 5.23 million).
It has been an honor and privilege to look after Diego Maradona’s shirt for over 18 years.
Who cares to see it next snap. Our squad always has room to sign other loans … 😉 https://t.co/94ANl1tQMT pic.twitter.com/qv1rtrKGNc
– Nat. Football Museum (বল Football Museum) April 6, 2022
However, Maradona’s daughter and ex-wife have expressed doubts about the authenticity of the piece, saying that the shirt Maradona wore in the first half of the Hajj was not the one he wore when he hit the net.
“This is not the shirt my dad wore in the second half,” Dalma Maradona said on Metro Radio.
“I know for sure he doesn’t have it, and I know who he is,” he added. “I don’t want to say who has it because it’s crazy.”
Sotheby’s says they have used photo-matching technology to “match” the shirt “precisely” with the goal of “examining the unique details of the various components of the item, including patches, stripes and numbers”.
But Maradona’s ex-wife Claudia Villafen said it was “against that former player against us” and said there was no need to sell the historic Hajj dress.
“I don’t think he needs the money unless he auctioned it off for a good cause,” she told the Clarinet newspaper. “It would be good if the Argentine Football Association bought it.”
Reuters has no way of independently verifying the family’s claim.
Maradona’s family has been embroiled in multiple scandals and court battles over his legacy since he died of a heart attack in November 2020.
The 60-year-old former Napoli and Boca Juniors striker is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time and a hero to millions of people around the world, especially in Argentina.
The online auction runs from April 20 to May 4.
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