What happened to the magic swimsuit worn by Diego Maradona on the day of “the hand of God”? This famous June 22, 1986, Argentina defeated England in the quarter-final of the Mexican World Cup (2-1). The Argentine prodigy, who died on November 25, had scored and scored three minutes later the goal of the century by dribbling no less than eight English players.
This jersey has not disappeared. Exhibited at the National Football Museum in Manchester (England), it belongs to the English player Steve Hodge, who collected it at the end of the match. Since the death of the Argentinian, the former Nottingham Forest midfielder has been in great demand to hand over the precious relic. But he swears “it’s not for sale”.
The disappearance of the “Pibe de Oro” (“the Golden Kid”), at the age of 60, however provoked a surge of interest in the object and rumors about a seven-figure price (more than one million euros). English pounds, or 1.1 million euros) which would have been set to acquire it. “People kept knocking on my door and the phone kept ringing, from all radio and TV stations, even foreign ones,” Hodge said, sweeping the rumors aside.
“It was unpleasant. I have seen articles on the internet saying I was looking to make money with the jersey and wanted £ 1 or 2 million. I find this a total disrespect and it is totally wrong. It is not for sale, ”he said.
Not resentful for a penny, Hodge assures us that he “never blamed” Maradona for his gesture on the first goal, despite the proven cheating: “It was totally inappropriate, but people who played football know that ‘ we try that kind of thing from time to time. In all corners of the globe he was respected and people appreciated him for his genius. This match will never be erased from the history of football, ”he concluded.
