Diego Maradona's famous 'Hand of God' shirt sells for over £7m at auction

The shirt worn by Argentina legend Diego Maradona as he downed England with two of most famous goals in football history has sold at auction for over £7million.

Maradona donned the bright blue strip as he scored the notorious 'Hand of God' goal early in the second half of the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against the Three Lions.

The playmaker rose and prodded the ball beyond Peter Shilton with his fist - unbeknown to the referee - to put his country ahead, later saying the goal was made "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God".

Minutes later, a 25-year-old Maradona scored what many believe to be the greatest goal of all time, starting his run from in his own half and weaving between helpless England players before slotting home. The breathtaking effort was subsequently dubbed the 'Goal of the Century'.

After the match, Maradona swapped shirts with Three Lions midfielder Steve Hodge, who continued to own it while loaning it to Manchester's National Football Museum for two decades. The 59-year-old decided to sell up earlier this year and Sotheby's arranged the auction with bidding open from 20 April until 4 May. The winning offer was worth an eye-watering £7,142,500, making the shirt the most expensive match-worn sports jersey in history.

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"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," Hodge said upon putting the strip up for sale. "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