Maradona's shirt may become the most expensive sports object in history: the legendary Babe Ruth shirt that holds the record

The dream of any football lover will be on sale in a few days and the announcement revolutionized the entire planet. The British auction house Sotheby's formally announced that a bid will be opened to sell the shirt that Diego wore Armando Maradona in the historic match against England corresponding to the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The controversy that arose around the news was the confrontation between Steve Hodge and the Maradona family, which raised in the voice of Dalma Maradona and Claudia Villafañe a question that could significantly change their price: is the jacket to be auctioned the one that was used in the second half where he scored La Mano de Dios and the Goal of the Century?

The economic dispute for this jewel in world football history will begin on April 20 and will end on May 4. The same auction house estimated the price in a range of more than $5 million to almost $8 million in US currency, even though the fight will be held in pounds sterling. If it reaches the minimum of what is estimated by those responsible for the sale, all records will be broken in figures when it comes to selling a sports-related object.

Who is waiting at the top for now? A New York Yankees jersey that belonged to the legendary Babe Ruth and wore it in the 1928-1930 span: it sold for $5.64 million at an auction on June 15, 2019, making it the most expensive sports collector's item ever sold. The previous record was defended by the same baseball player with a 1920 t-shirt for which $4.4 million was disbursed. The auction in question that broke the brand was part of a collection of relics related to “The Sultan of Swat”, as was Ruth, who sold the Hunt Auctions company at Yankee Stadium.

Those responsible for the sale clarified in a statement that they partnered with the baseball legend's family to recover valuable pieces of the athlete that needed to be exposed to the public in a more massive way. In addition, it was acknowledged that the figure was high but without showing surprise in this regard. “While the record prices achieved today are certainly amazing, I am not at all surprised given the incredible materials and mythical status that Babe has in the history of this country,” explained David Hunt, president of the company.

Ruth's legendary career spanned 22 seasons and included 714 homeruns and four World Series titles. While he is known worldwide for playing for the Yankees, Babe also spent time with the Boston Red Sox and the Braves. In 1936 he became one of five inaugural members elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

If we lock ourselves exclusively in the football jersey field, a legend from Brazil holds the record for now. Pelé is a myth in the history of this discipline. He won many outstanding football awards, including the FIFA Player of the Century in 2000. These awards, together with his charismatic personality off the field, made him one of the most sought-after personalities in the world of sports.

O Rei, who wore the number 10 jersey of his national team during his years as a footballer, participated in the 1970 World Cup tournament. Brazil played against Mexico in the final round and Pelé scored the first goal of the match. After the match in which Verdeamarelha defeated the host with a score of 4-1, she exchanged shirts with Roberto Rosato and that same jacket was auctioned off at Christie's home in England: it was sold at triple its expected price with a final offer of 225,109 US dollars, which made it the most valuable football shirt according to the Guinness World Record.

But not everything in sports is just the shirts worn by the protagonists. There are two items that broke all expectations and were purchased at exotic prices. The second most expensive piece of football souvenir ever sold was the FA Cup. The Football Association Challenge Cup is the oldest competition in the world and the most respected national qualifier. Founded in 1871, 736 teams are currently eligible to participate in the competition, and Arsenal holds record for the most successes in the tournament with 14 wins to its name.

Only four FA Cups have been produced, of which one was sold. It was auctioned in 2005 to an anonymous telephone bidder who reached an impressive 956,000 US dollars and went over to the Jules Rimmet Cup as the most expensive piece of football souvenir ever sold at that time. The English competition trophy was the oldest of the four ever made and had been awarded to the winner of the competition every year between 1896 and 1910.

However, the FA Cup is currently not the most expensive football-related object. The set of books 'Rules, Regulations and Laws of the Sheffield Football Club' is believed to be the first official regulations for football ever written. Organized precisely by Sheffield FC, the oldest active football club in the world, the historic piece was sold for 1.24 million US dollars in 2011 also to an anonymous bidder at the Sotheby's auction house. The book described rules that are still in place today such as indirect free kick, corner kick and the prohibition of both punches and kicks.

The doors of history will open once again from April 20, waiting to know if the biggest sale in the history of sports will take place. However, there is also the possibility that no one will bid the figure intended by the house and it will be left again in the hands of Steve Hodge. But considering the relevance of the shirt in football history, there are probably already several billionaire businessmen ready to start a tough fight that will last a total of 14 days and that can touch unthinkable figures.

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