It’s 1986, and Argentina is in an intense battle with England over the FIFA World Cup.
The two teams had no idea history would be made on that field, and Argentina's late Diego Maradona would be the one to make it happen.
The “Hand of God” goal happened when Maradona crept passed England’s defense to palm the ball into an empty net, giving the lead to Argentina. The same game also produced the "Goal of the Century," which Maradona also made when he skillfully got past England's players, scoring a goal against English goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Argentina went on to win the game 2-1.
The blue jersey Maradona was wearing was immediately enshrined as one of the most important jerseys in sports history.
After the game, Maradona exchanged jerseys with England's midfielder Steve Hodge, as swapping jerseys is a common way for opposing players to show respect for one another. Hodge, on the other hand, was probably unaware that the jersey would become so valuable.
On April 22, Hodge found out exactly how valuable it was.
He put the jersey up for auction at Sotheby's, and within hours it had received bids in the excess of $5 million.
See Also: Diego Maradona, Considered By Many The Greatest Soccer Player Ever, Dies At 60
It eventually sold for a world-record $9.28 million, making it the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever auctioned, surpassing the $5.64 million paid for Babe Ruth's 1928-1930 Yankee jersey and the $8.8 million paid for the original hand-drawn Olympic manifesto in 2019.
The auction was not without drama. The Maradona family claims that the jersey Hodge was given was not the jersey Maradona wore when the Hand of God goal was scored. Sotheby's refuted the claims, claiming that it had conducted "extensive diligence and scientific research on the item" to prove the jersey's authenticity.
Photo: Courtesy Sotheby's
