Auctions Sotheby’s said a shirt worn by Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona when he scored his famous goal against England at the 1986 World Cup is expected to sell for at least 4 million pounds ($5.23 million).
The shirt is owned by former England midfielder Steve Hodge, who exchanged shirts with Maradona after Argentina won the match 2-1 thanks to two goals from Maradona, the second came from an individual effort and is considered one of the greatest goals ever.
The first half of the match between Argentina and England ended in a goalless draw, and at the beginning of the second half Maradona scored a goal with his hand against goalkeeper Peter Shelton. The English protested for a long time, but the Tunisian referee, Ali Bin Nasser, did not care and insisted on calculating the goal.
Four minutes later, Maradona scored the most beautiful goal in the history of the World Cup, after he launched the ball from the middle of the field, and presented charming technical glimpses with his left foot, to dodge six English players, including the goalkeeper, before depositing the ball calmly into the net.
The shirt of Brazilian legend Pele from the 1970 World Cup final is the most expensive football shirt sold at auction, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Its price was £157,750 in 2002, three times the expected price.