The ‘hand of God’ football
The football used by Diego Maradona when he scored his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold for £2.5 million at auction.
The Adidas Azteca ball was used during Argentina’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over England in Mexico, where Maradona controversially punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
After the match, Maradona famously described the goal as being scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”
The same game also produced Maradona’s iconic ‘Goal of the Century’, as he dribbled past five England players before beating Shilton to complete one of the most celebrated goals in World Cup history.
The ball was sold for $3.3 million (£2.5m) by Heritage Auctions in the United States, although it had been expected to attract bids closer to $10 million (£7.3m).
Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser collected the ball after the match and kept it for more than 30 years.
In 2023, he signed a letter confirming it was the only ball used during the game, with further independent authentication supporting its provenance.
Bin Nasser had previously sold the ball for $2.37 million (£1.74m) in 2022. It was offered again at auction in 2023 but failed to sell after bids fell short of the reserve price.
Maradona’s shirt from the historic match was also sold at auction in 2022 for £7.1 million.