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(Reuters) – The jersey Diego Maradona wore when he scored his famous “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico could be available for $ 2 million after the Argentine’s death on Wednesday, says a US expert in sports souvenirs.
The jersey is owned by former England player Steve Hodge, who obtained it from Maradona after the match in which his attempted backward pass led to the controversial goal that helped remove England from the tournament Argentina won in Mexico.
“I was walking through the tunnel and Maradona was coming in the opposite direction. I just pulled on my shirt and we changed right there,” Hodge, who had been late leaving the field for a television interview, told British media.
The jersey is currently on display at the National Football Museum of England in Manchester.
“It’s very difficult to measure (the value) with the ‘Hand of God’ shirt, but I know the owner was looking for a private sale of $ 2 million,” David Amerman of Goldin Auction in New Jersey told Reuters. “It certainly could be a possibility, the values have gone up quite a bit in football.”
The Amerman firm is currently involved in another auction alongside Sotheby’s called “A Century of Champions,” featuring a Jules Rimet trophy that was awarded to Pelé by FIFA after he won his third World Cup with Brazil in 1970.
The trophy is expected to sell for up to $ 800,000, and that sum could be dwarfed if Hodge finds a buyer for Maradona’s jersey or puts it up for auction, although the 58-year-old former midfielder may not reach his target price. .
TWO MILLION
“It’s very hard to see how it would come up with the two million dollar price tag, but I don’t see why a person who had the money wouldn’t want something like that, you can’t really put a number. If you find the right person in the right place, it’s a realistic possibility, “Amerman explained.
“Maradona’s rookie soccer card, we recently sold a copy for $ 10,000. This is a card that was worth maybe a few hundred dollars a few years ago, and that was before his death. I saw one online yesterday that they were ordering. $ 20,000 for. “
But Amerman sounded a note of caution for those considering getting involved in the Maradona souvenir market following the Argentine’s death at age 60 after a heart attack.
“Right now, we are definitely seeing an increase in the action. I already received inquiries from people who bought Maradona items on our site and wanted to sell them at our next auction.
“We saw with the passing of Kobe Bryant this year … an immediate big increase in his memories … then it evens out because the market becomes saturated …”
One man who will not wear the jersey Maradona gave him on the free market is former Arsenal and Juventus player Liam Brady.
The former Ireland midfielder played Maradona many times by club and by country and the Argentinian gifted him an unusual jersey with the number 17 instead of his usual number 10 after a game in 1979.
“If it were to a private collector who really wanted it, if it went to the right place and it was appreciated, I would consider selling it, but I would not put it on eBay or any of these auction rooms,” he told Reuters.
“It has a great deal of sentimental value.”
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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