LONDON • The jersey worn by Diego Maradona when he scored his infamous "Hand Of God" goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico could be available for US$2 million (S$2.68 million) following the Argentinian's death on Wednesday, says an American sports memorabilia expert.
The shirt is owned by former England player Steve Hodge, who got it from Maradona after the match, in which his attempted back pass led to the controversial goal that helped dump England out of the tournament which Argentina went on to win.
"I was walking down the tunnel and Maradona was coming in the opposite direction. I just tugged my shirt and we swopped there and then," the former midfielder told the British media.
The shirt is currently on display at England's National Football Museum in Manchester.
"It's very difficult to gauge (the value) with the "Hand Of God" jersey, but I know that the owner was looking for a US$2 million private sale," David Amerman of Goldin Auction in New Jersey told Reuters.
His firm is currently involved in another auction together with Sotheby's called "A Century Of Champions", which features a Jules Rimet trophy which was presented to Pele by Fifa after he won his third World Cup with Brazil in 1970.
The trophy is expected to sell for up to US$800,000 and that sum could be dwarfed if Hodge finds a buyer for the Maradona shirt or if he puts it up for auction, although the 58-year-old may not quite reach his target price.
"It's very difficult to see how it would get to the US$2 million price, but I don't see why an individual who had the money wouldn't want something like that. 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 US$10,000, and that was before his death. I saw one yesterday online asking for US$20,000."
But Amerman sounded a note of caution for those thinking of getting involved in the Maradona memorabilia market.
"Right now we're definitely seeing increased action - I've already got inquiries from people who have purchased Maradona items on our site looking to sell them back in our next auction," he said.
"We saw with the passing of Kobe Bryant this year... an immediate huge spike in his memorabilia, then it levels out because the market gets saturated."
REUTERS
