Maradona and the 86 shirt: the biggest auction in the history of sports and why it is the real deal

It took four years to build the Azteca stadium, inaugurated on May 29, 1966 in the heart of Mexico. A few seconds were enough Diego Maradona to “throw it down” on June 22, 1986. The Azteca was called mythical after seeing Pelé and his Brazil crowned world champion in 1970, but climbed to the height of sanctuary after being the scene of something never seen in football : Maradona’s goals against England in the quarterfinals of Mexico 86. It was so incredible that Diego, that game and those two goals have not only been the protagonists of books, series, documentaries, movies and a long etcetera, but today, almost four decades later, the shirt worn by the Argentine has been auctioned for almost nine million dollars and became the most expensive sale of a sporting item in history.

When he said his first goal was “a bit with the head of Maradona and a bit with the hand of God”Diego Armando immortalized his liveliness as “The hand of God”. On the pitch, after fending off five Englishmen (including goalkeeper Peter Shilton) in 10.6 seconds, he eternalized the “Goal of the century”voted like this in a 2002 survey among 340 thousand fans from 150 countries. Maradona he always made as many headlines with his mouth as with his feet.

A little after a year and a half since his death, the ‘Fluff’ never ceased to be present. This time his t-shirt blue, with a white trim on the neck and the yellow shield on the left shoulder, was the most expensive in the history of the sport with 8.9 million dollars offered by an anonymous person who would be from the Middle East. “”This is how Marcelo Ordás, the Argentine collector who fought to the end in the virtual auction organized by Sotheby’s, had cataloged the ‘Ten’ shirt that belonged to Steve Hodge, the lucky former English midfielder who ran into the South American after the game .

Almost nine million dollars put the t-shirt 86 at the top of the ranking of sportswear for which the most money has been paid in the history of sports. That record was held by a rare and unique shirt of the famous American baseball player Babe Ruth with the Yankees, which reached the figure of 5.6 million dollars.

Also on the list is the $4.3 million paid by two University of Kansas basketball fans in 2010 for the sport’s faded and stained original rules that had been drafted by the founder. James Naismith more than a century ago. Or the million dollars that an American businessman gave for the gloves with which Muhammad Ali humiliated Floyd Patterson in a match held in 1965.

So many relics of sport that commemorate a historical moment. All valued in millions of dollars. But none like t-shirt with which Diego Armando Maradona immortalized the two best goals in all World Cups.

Is it the real thing? Yes it is

The authenticity of one of the most famous garments in world football was in question from the first moment, a controversy that ignited from the family of the same Maradona. The rumor that she was not born from Dalma Maradona, one of the “Fluff” daughters, but Steve Hodge himself reaffirmed his position that she was.

In fact, Sotheby’s own auction house described the blue number 10 jersey on its website as being in “good general condition consistent with heavy use, perspiration and athletic activity” with “slight fraying at the hem on the back.” front bottom of the t-shirt and minor stains everywhere.”

What is the truth? For the Argentine journalist Andrés Burgo, author of “El Partido”, a book that narrates in an extraordinary way with unknown details that Argentina-England, the t-shirt that will be auctioned if it is the one he used Maradona to immortalize “The Hand of God” and “The goal of the century”. “All indications show that it is.. The Sotheby’s company explained it, there are a lot of details that are clear that, due to the numbers or some peculiarities of the shield, it is clear that Hodge’s is the one from the second half. Besides, it was always clear that way. Hodge has been saying it for 20 years. He explained how the exchange went after the game and Maradona never denied it. There are no doubts”tells us firmly from Argentina.

Where are your most emblematic shirts?

Everything he ever touched, today are heirlooms. Diego, universal person. After knowing the auction of his shirt with which he settled in the Olympus of football, many questions arise: Where are his other Tshirts emblematic? Could it be that the lucky beings who own them somewhere on earth are encouraged, at some point, to put a price on them?

For Andrés Burgo, the answer unfortunately does not have an accurate answer. “The truth is that I don’t know”, he tells us with pity. “The family has a lot of TshirtsThey even have the one he used in the first half of the Argentina-England match, but the one from the World Cup final [México 86] I do not know. It happens that he changed his shirt many times ”tells us.

Let’s solve one of the mysteries: That albiceleste sweater with which he won the last World Cup in Argentina is in the hands of Marcelo Ordas, the Argentine collector who keeps football treasures in his “Legends Experience” museum. A building of five thousand square meters, in the heart of Spain, Madrid, treasures that t-shirt and other jewels such as shirts worn by Pelé, Tata Brown, Claudio Paul Caniggia, among others.

In the final against Federal Germany that ended 3-2 in favor of the South Americans, Maradona he exchanged his number 10 with Lothar Matthäus’ 8. How did he come into the hands of Ordas? “A year ago I was in Munich with Lothar Matthäus, but then with the loss of our great hero, I didn’t tell, to avoid some kind of speculation. Matthäus was the one who changed the t-shirt with Diego in the final of 86 and now I have it “confessed in an interview for an Argentine radio program in June of last year.

Just like Marcelo, there are many museums around the world that pay homage to one of the best players in history. Diego was, is and will be a universal person.