Argentines are jubilant about the return of soccer great Diego Maradona’s World Cup championship jersey.
The jersey Maradona wore during the first half of Argentina’s victory over Germany in the 1986 World Cup final has been returned to the Argentine Football Association 36 years later (AFA).
Former Germany midfielder Lothar Matthäus gave it to the Argentine people after exchanging shirts with Maradona at halftime.
He was thanked by the AFA in a heartfelt video.
Earlier this year, a Maradona shirt that the Argentinean player wore when he scored the “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal was sold for a record 7.1 million dollars. Steve Hodge, a former England midfielder, auctioned off that jersey.
Nevertheless, Lothar Matthäus informed the Daily Mail that he had never thought of selling his Maradona shirt despite the enormous price the “Hand of God” shirt brought in.
At a ceremony held at the Argentine embassy in Madrid in August, Matthäus gave the jersey to the Argentine people, noting that “Diego is a deity in Argentina, therefore it was great to give them the jersey.”
Before being delivered back to Argentina by collector Marcelo Ordás on Wednesday, the shirt was on display at Legends, a Madrid museum featuring vintage football memorabilia.
The AFA commemorated the event with a touching film in which it expressed gratitude to “our buddy Lothar Matthäus” on behalf of all Argentines.
