Maradona's Family Say "Hand of God Shirt" being Auctioned at Sotheby's is Not the "Real" One
Diego Maradona's family have claimed that the shirt that is to be sold at auction for upwards of £4 million was in fact worn only in the first half of the game against England. This would mean that it is not the one Maradona wore when he scored those two historic goals, both of which came during the second 45 minutes.
Maradona's Family Dispute Authenticity of Shirt Being Auctioned by Sotheby's
Photos courtesy of Sotheby's.
Dalma Maradona, Diego's daughter, and his ex-wife Claudia Villafane say that the shirt swapped with Steve Hodge after the game was the one Maradona started the match in but subsequently changed at half time. He wore a fresh shirt in the second half which is in the possession of somebody whose identity the two ladies declined to share, with Dalma Maradona stating:
“It’s not the shirt my father wore in the second half. I’m sure Hodge doesn’t have it, and I know who does. I don’t want to say who has it, because that’s crazy.”
Dalma with her father.
Claudia Villafane added:
“It’s our word against that ex-player’s. I don’t think he needs the money either, unless he auctions it off for a good cause. It would be good if the Argentine Football Association bought it.”
Villafane and Maradona on their wedding day.
Shirt's Authenticity Verified by Image Analysis
While Steve Hodge has not yet commented publicly on these comments, Sotheby's maintain that they have a "conclusive photomatch" which proves the shirt they are selling for Hodge is indeed from the second half. The photos below are from the listing of the shirt on Sotheby's website.
They also posted the letter received from Resolution Photomatching, the company who carried out the photo analysis of the shirt and confirmed that it is from the second half.
Twitter user @MaradonaPICS posted these photos seemingly confirming that the Sotheby's shirt is the shirt from the second half, judging by the placement of the number 10 in relation to the shiny stripes on the kit.
Who do you believe on this one, Resolution Photomatching or Delma Maradona? Comment below.
