Dalma Maradona, daughter of the legendary Diego Maradona, has claimed that the shirt which has been put up for auction by former England midfielder Steve Hodge is not the one worn by her father when he scores his famous ‘Hand of God’ goal.
The famous shirt which is reported to be the one worn by Maradona when he scored the famous goal which set the stage for Argentina’s last World Cup title win, has been put on auction for £4 million.
Steve Hodge, who played for England in that famous game, swapped shirts with Maradona after the match and has held on to it ever since, only loaning it to the National Football Museum in Manchester, England.
Hodge spoke previously about how he got the shirt. “I was walking down the tunnel and Maradona was coming in the opposite direction. I just tugged my shirt and we swapped there and then.”
Hodge also spoke about why he has now decided to sell the shirt. He said: “I have been the proud owner of this item for over 35 years, since Diego and I swapped shirts in the tunnel after the famed match.
“It was an absolute privilege to have played against one of the greatest and most magnificent football players of all time.
“It has also been a pleasure to share it with the public over the last 20 years at the National Football Museum, where it has been on display.
“The Hand of God shirt has deep cultural meaning to the football world, the people of Argentina, and the people of England and I’m certain that the new owner will have immense pride in owning the world’s most iconic football shirt.”
Dalma Maradona, however, claims that the actual shirt is in the custody of an unnamed party. She said to Radio Metro: “That ex-England player thinks he’s got my dad’s second-half shirt but there’s a confusion. He has the first-half top. I wanted to explain that to people so that whoever wants to buy it knows the truth.
“My mum hasn’t got it [the second half shirt in which Maradona scored both goals]. I know who has but I’m not going to say who’s got it so as not to expose that person.
“All I can say is that the one that’s being auctioned is not the one my dad scored his goals with.”
Sotheby’s, where the shirt will be on display in the auction period, said Dalma’s claims were false. A spokeswoman for the company said: “There was indeed a different shirt worn by Maradona in the first half but there are clear differences between that and what was worn during the goals.
“Prior to putting this shirt on sale, we did extensive diligence and scientific research on the item to make sure it was the shirt worn by Maradona in the second half for the two goals.
“This object has clear provenance, it is being co-signed by the man that kicked Maradona the ball on the Hand of God play. Maradona acknowledges the provenance himself, in his book ‘Touched by God’, and he recalls giving it to Steve Hodge.
“It’s been in the National Football Museum for 20 years, where countless people have seen it. There has never been a claim that it’s not the shirt.”
The shirt is iconic for many reasons. Aside from the ‘Hand of God’ goal, Maradona also scored the ‘Goal of the century’ in that shirt, which saw him dribble the length of the field to score and send Argentina to the semi-finals.
The shirt was also prepared for that particular game as the original shirts for the match were deemed too heavy for the weather.
