Maradona’s “hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup finals would be one of the most talked about goals in football. His second one of the most watched.
For the England defender Steve Hodge who played the ball back to his goalkeeper Peter Shilton, before Maradona punched the ball into the net it assured him a regular place on quiz nights. He was formerly a guest on NTFS talking about this moment.
As painful as the memory may well have been, clearly for Hodge the thrill of playing against one of the game’s all time greats outweighed the pain of defeat; or no doubt he thought it would with the passing of time.
Hodge exchanged shirts with Maradona in the tunnel after the game. Just as in the game, one can imagine six or seven England players chasing the great Argentinean but none getting close. Hodge however secured the prized item.
Generously he donated the shirt to the National Football Museum where it has been displayed for over 20 years. Now it is about to go under the hammer at Sothebys and incredible claims have been made that this is not the shirt that Maradona wore when he scored those two memorable goals.
Maradona’s daughter has come out and claimed that the shirt that Hodge exchanged with Maradona in the tunnel was “the first half top.” Not the one he scored the two most talked about goals in.
This seams totally unbelievable. First of all why has this only come to light now?
Secondly, it has to be the shirt worn by Maradona as who in the heat of the moment would have gone to the dressing room and returned to the tunnel with his “first half top.” Why would that shirt be anywhere near the pitch or the tunnel at that point in time? Hodge and his fellow players were there, some witnessed the exchange and know that no other shirt was present.
If you check Maradona’s autobiography he states that he exchanged shirts with Hodge and that the England defender had the garment in which he starred.
One feels for anyone who has been given such an item of memorabilia, as we live in such untrusting times, times when people want to tear down not only stories but each other, that we now have to have proof that things are what they claim to be. Yet in so many parts of our lives there is no proof, yet we believe what we are fed.
For Hodge such claims could have been more humiliating than being involved in one of the most controversial goals of all time. It is understood that Sothebys have called in experts who have verified from photographs and film of the game that the shirt on sale is indeed the one worn by Maradona in the second half.
The estimated sale price for the shirt is UKL4million. Maybe the former great’s family feel miffed that something that should have stayed within the family has ended up for sale, and their claims were to drive the price down. Either way it is sad that such claims have been made and then a process of verification had to be engaged in.
Many believe that irrespective of the claims Maradona’s shirt will result in another record for the diminutive star. The current world record when it comes to the sale of a match shirt stands at USD$5.6m (UKL4.3m). This was for a New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth that was sold in 2019. Will Maradona once again rise to the occasion?
