The ball that witnessed one of the most controversial moments in football history, Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal against England at the 1986 World Cup, has fetched a staggering £2.5 million at auction.
In that iconic fixture, which ended in a 2-1 victory for Argentina, Maradona punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton, later coining the phrase:
The ball was scored a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.
Notably, Maradona also netted what is regarded as the 'Goal of the Century' in that same match, dribbling past five England players before slotting the ball home.
Despite the remarkable selling price, it fell short of the auctioneers' expectations, who had hoped to rake in around $10 million (£7.3 million). Mike Provenzale from Heritage described the piece to Reuters ahead of the sale:
This is a genuine one-of-a-kind item. Possibly the most significant football artefact to have ever existed.
Following the final whistle in 1986, the Adidas Azteca ball was taken by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who preserved the relic for over three decades. In 2023, Bin Nasser provided an official letter confirming that this was the only ball used throughout the match, a fact corroborated by independent authenticity checks. The ball had previously been sold by Bin Nasser in 2022 for $2.37 million (£1.74 million). The new owner put it back up for auction in 2023, but it failed to sell as bids didn’t reach the set minimum.
Interestingly, the shirt worn by Maradona in that legendary match against England was sold at auction in 2022 for £7.1 million.
