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.

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"I want to thank you, Marcelo, for having brought us this armour. An important armour 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."

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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.

Argentinian forward Diego Maradona runs past English defenders Terry Butcher (left) and Terry Fenwick (2nd L) on his way to scoring his second goal during the World Cup quarterfinal on 22 June 1986 in Mexico City. Photo: AFP
Argentinian forward Diego Maradona runs past English defenders Terry Butcher (left) and Terry Fenwick (2nd L) on his way to scoring his second goal during the World Cup quarterfinal on 22 June 1986 in Mexico City. Photo: AFP

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 quarterfinals, sold for a then-record 7.14 million pounds ($8.01 million) at an auction in May.

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That shirt is on loan to the Sports Museum in Qatar which is hosting this year's World Cup starting on Nov. 20.

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