Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball sells for £2.5m
The football used by Diego Maradona to score his infamous "Hand of God" goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold at auction for £2.5m, well below its expected price of around £7.3m. The Adidas Azteca ball was authenticated by Ali Bin Nasser, the Tunisian referee who officiated the match and kept the ball for over three decades before first selling it in 2022. The sale underlines the enduring fascination with one of football's most controversial moments, in which Maradona punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton during Argentina's 2-1 quarter-final win.
The ball fetched $3.3m (£2.5m) at Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday, having previously sold for $2.37m (£1.74m) in 2022 and failed to meet its reserve at a 2023 auction. Auctioneer Mike Provenzale described it as "arguably the most significant soccer item that exists". In the same match, Maradona also scored his celebrated "goal of the century", dribbling past five England players, while the shirt he wore that day sold for £7.1m at auction in 2022.
- Maradona's 1986 "Hand of God" ball sold for £2.5m at auction
- Sale fell short of the expected $10m (£7.3m) price
- Referee Ali Bin Nasser kept and authenticated the ball for decades
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Diego Maradona was one of football's greatest players, and his "Hand of God" goal is among the sport's most notorious moments. Playing for Argentina against England in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup, he punched the ball into the net past goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and the goal was allowed to stand. The match, coming not long after the Falklands War, carried extra political weight, and the goal has been debated by football fans ever since.
The actual ball from that match has become a valuable piece of sporting memorabilia. It was kept for decades by Ali Bin Nasser, the Tunisian referee who took charge of the game, before he first sold it in 2022. Items linked to that same match, including the shirt Maradona wore, have previously fetched large sums at auction, reflecting how significant the game remains in football history.
Auction prices for such items are set by what bidders are willing to pay on the day, so sale figures can rise or fall compared with earlier valuations or estimates. This context helps explain why the ball's latest sale price is being reported and compared with past sales and expectations.