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Joshua Hobbs

Former Leeds United star sells Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' shirt for record amount at auction

Steve Hodge was a professional footballer before the days of players earning eye watering wages. Even though he was a Division One title winner with Leeds United, he wouldn't have earned anywhere near the amount of money he has recently come into.

That's due to the fact that Hodge has sold the Diego Maradona 'Hand of God' shirt. The former Leeds man was playing for England in the game that the Argentinian legend scored the infamous goal, where he punched ball past Peter Shilton. It also featured the spectacular solo goal where he dribbled from the halfway line to score. That brace meant that England were knocked out of the 1986 World Cup and Hodge managed to swap shirts with the match winner after the final whistle.

He has now been able to auction the famous number 10 shirt - through Sotherby's - for a fee of over £7million. This makes the shirt the most valuable ever sold.

Read more: Former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa 'evaluating offer' to return to management

When putting the shirt up for sale, Hodge said: "I have been the proud owner of this item for over 35 years, since Diego and I swapped shirts in the tunnel after the famed match. It was an absolute privilege to have played against one of the greatest and most magnificent football players of all time.

"It has also been a pleasure to share it with the public over the last 20 years at the National Football Museum, where it has been on display.

"The Hand of God shirt has deep cultural meaning to the football world, the people of Argentina, and the people of England, and I'm certain that the new owner will have immense pride in owning the world's most iconic football shirt."

Hodge played at Elland Road for three seasons. He scored seven goals in Leeds' last title-winning season in the top-flight.

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