Maradona’s shirt is not for sale: Hodge

TIL Desk Sports/ Former England midfielder Steve Hodge says he has spent a week fending off potential buyers for the shirt worn by Diego Maradona in the infamous 1986 World Cup quarter-final but insists it is not for sale.

Hodge, 58, swapped shirts with Maradona after England’s 2-1 defeat in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, the match in which Maradona scored his so-called “Hand of God” goal before also scoring one of the best ever seen at a World Cup.

The iconic player’s death last week, aged 60, has created a frenzy of interest in the shirt, which belongs to Hodge but resides in England’s National Football Museum in Manchester, and an American sports memorabilia expert said it could be available for $2m.

Hodge, however, has disappointing news for anyone thinking of making him an offer. “I have had it for 34 years and have never once tried to sell it,” Hodge told.