CELEBRITY
Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt to be sold at auction
The Argentina shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup is to be auctioned.
According to a BBC report, the iconic blue away shirt, currently owned by former England midfielder Steve Hodge, is expected to fetch more than £4m.
Maradona also scored one of greatest World Cup goals in that game on the way to winning the tournament.
After Maradona died in November 2020, Hodge said the shirt was not for sale.
In December that year Hodge said he had “people knocking on my door non-stop”, and that reports he was looking to sell the shirt were false. “I find it disrespectful and totally wrong,” he added at the time. “It’s not for sale. I am not trying to sell it.”
RELATED STORIES: https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/2020/12/04/nigerias-emenalo-could-have-made-fortunes-from-maradonas-last-match-shirt/
Midfielder Hodge, 59, who appeared in two World Cups for England and won 24 caps, has been in possession of the shirt since swapping it with Maradona in the tunnel after the 1986 quarter-final which Argentina won 2-1.
Hodge loaned the shirt to the National Football Museum, where it has been for housed for 20 years, but it will now be auctioned at Sotheby’s in London with bidding open from April 20 to May 4.
The current record price for a shirt worn during a game is held by New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth’s baseball jersey, which sold for $5.6m (£4.4m) in 2019.
Maradona is widely considered one of the greatest ever footballers, playing a hugely significant role in Argentina’s World Cup win at Mexico ’86.
He played for Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys in a glittering club career, but it was at Napoli between 1984 and 1991 that he cemented his reputation as the world’s best player of his generation.
He captained them to their first ever Italian Serie A title in 1986-87, and followed it with a second in 1989-90, as well as winning the Uefa Cup, Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup with the club.
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.
Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.
“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.
The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
-Reuters
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.
Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.
“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.
Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.
-Reuters
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Players boycott Libyan national team
-
AFCON4 days ago
Billiat’s penalty seals Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win over Namibia
-
AFCON1 week ago
Eguavoen unfolds Super Eagles’ squad for back-to-back duel with Libya
-
AFCON6 days ago
Facts & Figures as AFCON 2025 qualifiers enter Matchday 3
-
AFCON5 days ago
AFCON 2025 in Morocco: Everything you need to know
-
AFCON5 days ago
Libya’s captain, Faisal Al-Badri alleges poor treatment in Nigeria
-
Uncategorized6 days ago
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Fastest World Cup final scorer is dead!