The shirt worn by England goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the ‘Hand of God’ World Cup quarter-final against Argentina in 1986 is to be auctioned with an estimated sale price of up to £300,000.
In one of the most famous games in the competition’s history, Diego Maradona used his left hand to lift the ball over the onrushing Shilton to put his country ahead.
Four minutes later, the South American side’s captain scored what is widely regarded as one of the greatest goals of all time as he dribbled from his own half past several England players.
Maradona’s No 10 shirt from the game fetched a then record £7.1m at auction in May 2022.
When asked whether he had cheated to score the opener, the midfielder said it was scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.
Shilton’s shirt is being sold by a private collector from the UK as part of an auction expected to be held next July before the 2026 World Cup final.
‘Moment in history’
A leaping Maradona has his left hand underneath the ball as Peter Shilton attempts to punch it away. Several other players are looking on with thousands of fans in the stands behind them.
David Convery, of Graham Budd Auctions, said the the jersey being auctioned had been verified through photo-matching, with tops from games earlier in the tournament having been discounted as part of the authentication process.
“As you can imagine, coming off his back in 100 degree heat in 1986, it has a wee bit of a whiff to it.
“There are a couple of pulls and snags due to the material but it’s in pretty fantastic condition.
“It’s from a moment in history and the second goal was unbelievable. As a specialist auctioneer, it’s up there having held nine of the 11 World Cup winners’ medals from 1966 and medals from every final since.”
Shilton, who went on to win a record 125 caps for his country, declined to be interviewed when contacted by the BBC.
However, Peter Reid, who Maradona sprinted away from on his way to slotting home his second goal, describes the shirt as a reminder of a special match.
Speaking at the National Football Museum in Manchester, the former midfielder recalled an intense build-up with the world’s media camped outside the team hotel for the first clash between the sides since the Falklands War earlier in the decade.
“When you put it all together – the handball, the second goal, who Maradona was – it’s an iconic game,” said Reid.
“[England manager] Bobby Robson wasn’t great with names. He called him Madonna.
“Maradona’s second goal is often cited as one of the best of all time
“He went past me, played a one-two,” says Reid, picking up the story again.
“I felt comfortable feeling Shilts was going to get it. As he went up, I saw the handball. Maradona did it well. It was cute, you would say that.
“I remember the ground exploding [with fans celebrating] and I realised he’d given it. Glenn Hoddle, Terry Fenwick, Shilts and me ran after the referee.”
Reid describes seeing Maradona’s second goal unfold as he forlornly gave chase as like being in a dream: “He was just too quick. If you look again, Hoddle gets fouled, it wasn’t given and then Maradona’s gone.
“His touch and pace [was staggering] even with the pitch being awful and covered with potholes. He was just too quick.
Other items due to be auctioned as part of the same event include Pele’s World Cup winner’s medal from 1958, which is valued at up to £500,000.
Gordon Banks’ 1966 winner’s medal is estimated to fetch about £300,000 while Alan Ball’s shirt from the game is expected to sell for in the region of £200,000.
Also going under the hammer will be goalscorer Martin Peters’ spare shirt from the final which auctioneers suggest is worth in the region of £50,000.
