Maradonas daughter says £4m auctioned Hand of God shirt is not real jersey

Diego Maradona’s eldest daughter has insisted the Argentina shirt Steve Hodge has put up for auction is not the one her dad scored his two goals including his notorious ‘Hand of God’ strike with.

Dalma Maradona, 35, claimed the shirt set to fetch over £4million is the top her soccer legend father wore during the goalless first half of the 1986 England-Argentina quarters-finals World Cup match in Mexico.

She added controversy to the shock news it is going to be sold to the highest bidder by Sotheby’s in London by saying the prized "second-half" shirt Maradona made history in is in the hands of a mystery owner she declined to name.

Dalma, one of Diego’s two daughters with his ex-wife Claudia Villafane, made her astonishing claims on her Argentine radio show and said her dad had changed shirts at half-time because of the high temperatures in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Maradona’s controversial ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 51st minute was followed by a second four minutes later which is widely considered to be the greatest ever in which he dribbled past several England players before slotting the ball past Peter Shilton.

Dalma, speaking on Radio Metro, said: "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."

HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Maradona's 'Hand of God' shirt the most iconic one of all time? Let us know in the comments section.

Quizzed on the whereabouts of the shirt she said Diego wore after the half-time break, she added: “My mum hasn’t got it. 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.”

Former midfielder Hodge, who for the past 20 years has loaned the shirt to England’s National Football Museum in Manchester, has said of the moment he acquired Maradona’s iconic 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."

Revealing why he is now selling the famous number 10 top, the dad-of-three added: "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 claimed overnight her dad, who died in November 2020 aged just 60 after suffering heart failure following a brain blood clot op, had told her while he was still alive he had never given Hodge the shirt he scored his two goals with.

Insisting the retired footballer was wrong "to be making money out of something he shouldn’t," she added: "The people taking part in the auction have to know it’s also an important shirt but the one from the first half when no goals were scored. I feel I’m being objective because for me that shirt has no real value."

The Diego Maradona shirt is being auctioned online by Sotheby’s in London from April 20 to May 4 with an estimate of between £4 million and £6million. The most expensive match shirt ever sold was one of baseball legend Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees’ jerseys which went for £4.3million in 2019.

Dalma’s mum Claudia Villafane on Wednesday night backed her daughter, saying: "It’s going to be our word against this ex-players'. The one this man has is the first-half shirt which if he wants to auction it off is a sin unless he wants to sell it and do something for charity. I don’t think he needs the money. It would be good if the Argentinian Football Association buys it."

Source: Read Full Article