Goalkeeper's shirt from epic Maradona 'hand of God' game to auction for N600 million

The shirt worn by England goalkeeper Peter Shilton during the infamous "Hand of God" quarter-final against Argentina at the 1986 World Cup is set for auction.

The jersey is estimated to command a price of up to £300,000 (600million Naira) when it goes under the hammer next July, just before the 2026 World Cup final.

The match saw Argentine legend Diego Maradona score two goals that would define his legacy.

The first, the infamous "Hand of God" goal, saw Maradona illicitly use his hand to lift the ball over the onrushing Shilton, opening the scoring. Just four minutes later, he netted what is widely regarded as one of the greatest individual goals of all time, dribbling from his own half past several England players before slotting home.

Maradona famously quipped that the first goal was scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God."

The auction of Shilton's shirt follows the record-breaking sale of Maradona's No. 10 shirt from the same game, which fetched a staggering £7.1 million in May 2022.

The white England jersey, now owned by a private collector in the UK, has undergone rigorous authentication. David Convery of Graham Budd Auctions confirmed the shirt's legitimacy through photo-matching, discarding other tops from earlier in the tournament during the verification process.

Convery offered a colourful description of the historical garment,  "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."

He added, "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."

The auction will also feature other highly coveted football memorabilia, including Pelé's 1958 World Cup winner's medal,valued at up to £500,000.

Additionally, Gordon Banks' 1966 winner's medal is estimated to reach £300,000, while Alan Ball's shirt from the same final is expected to fetch around £200,000.

Martin Peters' spare shirt from the 1966 final is also on the block, with auctioneers suggesting a value in the region of £50,000.