ARGENTINA has begged former England star Steve Hodge to pull out of a £5million auction for Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt — and sell it to them instead.
Midfielder Hodge, now 59, swapped shirts with the legend after he scored the two goals which beat England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Argentina has begged former England star Steve Hodge to pull out of a £5million auction for Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt — and sell it to them instead Credit: BPM
Hodge swapped shirts with the legend Maradona after his two goals which beat England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico Credit: Getty – Contributor For the first, Maradona used his hand to tip a looping ball over goalie Peter Shilton.
Ex-Spurs ace Hodge put the No10 shirt up for an auction due to close today.
And an opening bid of £5million immediately made it the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia ever sold.
But The Sun can reveal an Argentine delegation has now arrived in London in a last-ditch bid to grab it for a Maradona museum in capital Buenos Aires.
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Auctioneers dismiss wild claims ‘wrong’ Maradona Hand of God shirt up for sale The group is made up of the Argentine FA, Maradona’s family and a private memorabilia firm.
One member said: “He is selling something that belongs to Maradona and the AFA without authorisation.
“It should be in Argentina in order all Argentines can enjoy it — and not for a millionaire to display it in his closet.”
Hodge had loaned to the shirt to Manchester’s National Football Museum but could now face a legal battle.
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Maradona’s family claim Hodge has the shirt he used in the first half, and so not the Hand of God shirt.
But Sotherbys claim they have verified beyond doubt that Hodge has the authentic shirt, sparking a flood of huge bids.
The Sun can reveal an Argentine delegation is trying to secure the shirt for a Maradona museum in Buenos Aires Credit: Getty – Contributor Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
