Thirty-six years after Diego Maradona helped Argentina beat Germany to lift the World Cup in Mexico City, the shirt he wore in the game has returned to his homeland.
Germany’s Lothar Matthaeus, who swapped shirts with Maradona, donated the jersey to the Argentine embassy in Madrid in August and it was handed over to the country’s football association (AFA) by collector Marcelo Ordas on Wednesday.
“I want to thank you, Marcelo, for having brought us this armor. An important armor for all of Argentine football. This shirt allowed us to hug each other when we won the title of Mexico,” AFA president Claudio Tapia said in a statement.
“The value of this means a lot to our country and our history.”
Maradona set up Jorge Burruchaga for the winner in the 1986 final at the Azteca Stadium as Argentina triumphed 3-2 to claim their second World Cup title.
Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt, which he wore when he scored two of the most famous goals in soccer history against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, sold for a then-record 7.14 million pounds ($8.01 million) at an auction in May.
That shirt is on loan to the Sports Museum in Qatar which is hosting this year’s World Cup starting on Nov. 20.
Maradona’s 1986 World Cup final shirt returns to Argentina
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Maradona’s 1986 World Cup final shirt returns to Argentina
- Germany’s Lothar Matthaeus, who swapped shirts with Maradona in the Mexico 86 final, donated the jersey to the Argentine embassy in Madrid in August
- Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt, which he wore when he scored two of the most famous goals in football history against England at Mexico 86, sold for $8.01m in May
Dubai Basketball marks Ramadan opener with win and 3,055 eels donated to UAE Food Bank
- The ‘Basket for Basket’ initiative took place during the team’s 96-85 EuroLeague victory over LDLC ASVEL
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball won their EuroLeague round 29 game against LDLC ASVEL here on Thursday and celebrated by pledging 3,055 meals to families in need across the UAE.
The 96-85 win marked the club’s first game of Ramadan. Through the “Basket for Basket” initiative, every point scored by Dubai Basketball counted as a meal donated, with every ticket purchased adding to the total.
By the final buzzer, 3,055 meals had been secured in partnership with the UAE Food Bank to be distributed throughout the month of Ramadan.
Dubai Basketball Head Coach Jurica Golemac said after the game: “Thank you to the fans. It wasn’t an easy game to play, but we approached it with the right level of seriousness.
“We stayed disciplined, extended our lead step by step, defended well, and maintained our focus. I’m also very happy to say that during the holy month of Ramadan, we were able to donate more than 3,000 meals tonight.”
Co-CEO Dejan Kamenjasevic said: “To open this month with a win is special, but to do it while supporting thousands of families across the UAE is what truly matters.
“Basketball brought everyone together tonight, our players, our fans, our partners, together we created something meaningful.
“This is exactly what Dubai Basketball stands for: competing at the highest level, proudly representing this city while never losing sight of our responsibility to the community.”
The team delivered a strong collective performance at home. Mfiondu Kabengele set the tone early with a dominant scoring display, while Dwayne Bacon and McKinley Wright provided balance and control to secure the result.
