Picture Credit: Twitter
Diego Maradona’s jersey which he wore when he scored the historic "Hand of God" goal against England in 1986 will be displayed in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. The news was announced by a top official on Saturday.
The $9.3 million shirt was bought by a secret buyer, who has loaned the jersey to Qatar's 3-2-1 sports museum and will be on display from Sunday until 1 April 2023. Qatar hasn’t named the shirt's owner, who had paid a then-record price for any sports memorabilia object.
The head of Qatar Museums and a member of the Gulf state's royal family, Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani revealed how excited they have been after acquiring the shirt for a unique World Cup show.
"The jersey has been through quite a journey," she added in a statement to AFP. "Starting with the moment when England midfielder Steve Hodge swapped jersey with Maradona after the match, in what now seems an inspired move."
The tributes for Diego Maradona haven’t stopped for the World Cup as an aeroplane dedicated to El Pibe de Oro was unveiled in May 2022 which will travel around the world and end its journey in Qatar later this year in November. The plane is a Tango D10S which is a 12-seater aircraft sponsored by an Argentine fintech company - Give and Get.
The aircraft is designed to be a flying museum as a tribute to the former World Cup winner, who passed away because of a heart attack in November 2020. It also has a picture of Maradona kissing the World Cup trophy on the fuselage, while his face is also on the tail.
Gaston Kolker, CEO of Give and Get while talking to Reuters addressed the plane. He said, “I am mad about Maradona, one of those people who still watch videos of Diego before I go to sleep at night. This is the first World Cup without Maradona and maybe the last with (Lionel) Messi. I said, I want to make Diego’s plane, I want to make Diego’s plane. And so we launched Tango D10S.”
“When Maradona’s teammates saw it, the World Cup winners from 1986, they were amazed, they were hypnotized by the aircraft,” Kolker said during the unveiling event with other members from that World Cup-winning side. Maradona's daughter Dalma also talked about the plane and said, “We can't believe or understand this craziness, the love involved. How far will fans go? As far as a plane.”
