First World Cup football, Maradona jersey among rare items at Qatar museum

Iconic memorabilia on display at 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum ahead of World Cup 2022

Football fans visiting Qatar for the highly anticipated World Cup 2022 now have a chance to relive a part of history at the 'World of Football' exhibition.

Displayed at the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum are some of the most treasured items in football, including the shirt that Diego Maradona wore when he scored his infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England at the 1986 World Cup.

Other memorabilia includes the football used in the first World Cup finals in Uruguay in 1930, the first written account of the rules of football, a rare bronze bust of the iconic Brazilian Pele's right foot and other jerseys worn by football greats.

The star attraction of the exhibition is without doubt Maradona's jersey. The famous kit is on display just five months after it set a record price at auction.

The shirt which sold for $9.3 million to a secret buyer has been loaned to Qatar's 3-2-1 Sports Museum and will remain on display until April 1, 2023. England midfielder Steve Hodge had managed to get Maradona's jersey after the match and put it up for auction after almost 20 years on display at England's National Football Museum.

Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, head of Qatar Museums, said she was excited to have secured the shirt for a special World Cup exhibition.

"The jersey has been through quite a journey," Sheikha Al Mayassa told AFP. "Many of the items displayed at the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum are like this: symbols of human passion that have long, moving narratives behind them," she added.

"These objects have now taken on a life of their own as part of the world's culture - inspiring emotion, evoking memories, and sparking dialogue."

Apart from items from their own collection, the Qatar museum also has sourced memorabilia from other centres like the Fifa Museum, National Football Museum in the UK and the Musée National du Sport of France.

The newly inaugurated 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum in the capital Doha. All photos: AFP

Qatar opened one of the world's largest sports museums, with artefacts from some of the most famous Olympic heroes.

The museum also gives prominence to local athletes and is aimed at helping to attract a new generation into sports.

A shirt worn by Brazilian football legend Pele on display at the museum.

Gloves worn by boxing legend Muhammad Ali, when he won a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

A Ferrari driven by Formula One great Michael Schumacher is another prominent exhibit.

An artefact related to the ancient Greek Olympics.

The museum has seven main gallery spaces.

The building houses more than 17,000 objects.

It's said to be the largest museum of its kind, at 19,000 square metres.