Category: Uncategorized

Icons and Diego: The Story of Maradona’s Exclusive Signing Partner

October 2, 2026
From Our CEO Uncategorized

Forty years after Mexico 1986, Diego Maradona is still the player every great is measured against. Icons.com was his worldwide exclusive signing partner; the last contract Diego ever signed was with us, and today we still hold the exclusive licence to sell his signed memorabilia. This is the story behind our Diego Maradona signed memorabilia.

Icons and Diego

Diego Maradona and Edward Freedman

Our relationship with Diego ran for almost two decades. When our CEO Dan Jamieson and our late chairman Edward Freedman met him in Buenos Aires in May 2010, Icons.com already held a worldwide exclusive signing contract with him.

That first meeting is part of Icons history. Late one night, the call came, “Diego will see you now”, and the team grabbed every item they could carry and headed to, of all places, his mum’s house. He was manager of Argentina at the time, weeks away from taking Lionel Messi to the FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, and he even added a dedication for Wayne Rooney. Two more sessions followed after he moved to Dubai, where Dan was a guest at Diego’s house.

It was never simple. One session took a full week because Diego had let his whole team go and wasn’t seeing anyone. A later attempt to bring him back left us holding boxes of unsigned shirts, boots, and photos for three years. We waited.

The last contract

In July 2020, at the end of a 20-month negotiation, Diego re-signed a worldwide exclusive contract with Icons.com. The world was in lockdown, and we couldn’t be in the room, as we usually are, so the shirts, boots, photos and footballs were shipped directly to him. On 5 August 2020, the confirmation arrived: photos and videos of Diego signing our products, cigar in hand.

A second shipment followed in September. After his brain surgery that November, Diego spent part of his rehabilitation signing the rest of our products. He died on 25 November 2020, aged 60, with the work all but finished.

“We must be proud that it was the last contract he signed, and that he worked on it to the end.”
Sport & Life, Diego’s agents

Read Dan’s full account in From Our CEO: The Inside Story of Diego & Icons, or browse the Diego Maradona signed collection.

Mexico 1986, forty years on

This summer marked forty years since Diego captained Argentina to the FIFA World Cup™ in Mexico. Against England in the quarter-final at the Azteca, he scored twice in four minutes, the second a solo run later voted FIFA’s Goal of the Century. Two more followed against Belgium in the semi-final, and he set up Jorge Burruchaga’s winner in the 3-2 final against West Germany. He left with the Golden Ball as the best player at the tournament.

At club level, he made Napoli champions of Italy twice, in 1987 and 1990, and won the UEFA Cup in 1989, after spells at Boca Juniors and Barcelona. His standard still holds: in July, Jude Bellingham became the first player since Diego in 1986 to score twice in consecutive World Cup knockout matches.

Proof in every piece

Icons.com holds the exclusive licence to sell Diego Maradona signed memorabilia. Every Maradona piece on Icons.com is hand-signed by Diego Maradona and comes with a certificate of authenticity from Icons.com and our lifetime guarantee. Our 2020 signings were recorded in photos and video of Diego at work.

“Icons is the only place to buy genuine products hand-signed by Diego.”
Dan Jamieson, CEO of Icons.com

The collection

Available now:

As the Home of Messi signed memorabilia, we’ve also brought Argentina’s two World Cup-winning captains together in one piece: the Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi official FIFA World Cup™ dual frame.

Explore the full Diego Maradona signed collection.

We keep memorabilia to stay close to the people whose talent made us love the game. Bringing Diego closer to his fans, from Buenos Aires to Naples and everywhere in between, remains one of the proudest parts of our story.

Official. Authentic. Exclusive.


A Fresh Look for Our Holograms, Same Trusted Authentication

New Icons Hologram
April 10, 2026
Uncategorized

At Icons.com, every piece of memorabilia we sell carries more than just a signature; it carries a promise. That promise has been represented for years by the tamper-evident hologram fixed to each item we authenticate, a small but vital marker that connects your collectable back to us and to the moment it was signed. Over the coming weeks, you’ll start to notice that the hologram looks a little different. We wanted to take a moment to explain why.

What’s changing

We’re rolling out a new hologram design across our range. It’s a visual refresh — updated finish, refined detailing, and a cleaner look that sits better alongside our current branding. You may see both the old and new holograms in circulation for a short period as we transition stock, and that’s completely normal. Items already in your collection remain exactly as authentic as the day you bought them. Nothing about their value, provenance, or certification changes.

What’s not changing

This is the important part: the process behind the hologram is identical to what it’s always been. Every item we sell is still signed in person at a private signing session attended by an Icons.com representative, photographed throughout, matched to a certificate of authenticity, and logged in our database. The hologram is simply one component of that wider process, part of our TripleLock™ authentication system, which combines in-person witnessing, photographic evidence, and a unique certificate reference so that every piece can be verified long after it leaves our hands.

In other words, we haven’t changed how we authenticate. We’ve just updated how the sticker looks.

Why now?

Authentication markers need to evolve. As print and security technology move on, so do the standards we hold ourselves to. Refreshing the hologram gives us a chance to bring the design in line with the rest of our brand while also taking advantage of improved materials. It’s a small step, but one that reflects the care we put into every stage of the process, from the signing room to the moment a piece arrives at your door.

For existing collectors

If you already own items authenticated under the previous hologram, there’s nothing you need to do. Your certificate of authenticity, your database record, and your piece’s provenance all remain fully valid and fully supported. Both the old and new holograms will be recognised by our team indefinitely, and any future verification requests or simple peace of mind will be handled exactly as they always have been.

Questions?

If you spot the new hologram on a recent purchase and want to double-check anything, our team is always happy to help. Drop us a line, and we’ll walk you through it.
customersupport@icons.com

As ever, thank you for trusting Icons.com with the pieces that mean the most to you. The look may be evolving, but the standards never will.