The football used by Diego Maradona to score his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup has sold for £2.5 million ($3.3 million) at auction in the United States.
Recall that the late Maradona controversially punched the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton during Argentina’s 2-1 quarter-final victory in Mexico.
After the match, the Argentine legend famously described the goal as being scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”
The same match also produced Maradona’s iconic ‘Goal of the Century’, as he dribbled past five England players before beating Shilton to complete one of football’s greatest individual goals.
The Adidas Azteca ball was collected by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser after the final whistle. He kept it for more than three decades before selling it in 2022 for $2.37 million.
Bin Nasser later signed a letter confirming that it was the only ball used during the match, with subsequent independent authentication further supporting its provenance.
Although the ball was described as one of the most significant football memorabilia items ever offered at auction, it fell well short of its expected price of around £7.3 million.
Heritage Auctions specialist Mike Provenzale had described the item as a “true one-of-one” and arguably the most significant soccer item in existence.
The ball had previously been offered for auction in 2023, but failed to sell after bids did not reach the reserve price.
The shirt Maradona wore during the historic match was also sold at auction in 2022, fetching a much higher £7.1 million.
