Maradona shirt auction opens with $5m bid

An auction of the jersey worn by Diego Maradona when he scored twice against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals, including the infamous "hand of God" goal, kicked off Wednesday with a bid of over $5 million.

Sotheby's is selling the blue No 10 Argentina shirt in an online sale that runs until May 4.

A few hours after bidding opened, the site showed that a first offer of $5.2 million－matching the low end of the auction house's presale estimate－h(huán)ad been registered, which would be a record price for a soccer jersey at auction.

The record for a game-worn shirt from any sport is $5.6 million, set in 2019 for a jersey Babe Ruth wore while with the New York Yankees.

Maradona's daughter cast doubt on the sale earlier this month when she claimed that the shirt put up for auction had been the one her father wore in the goalless first half, not the second when he scored his two goals. Sotheby's insists it is the right shirt.