The ball with which Diego Armando Maradona scored the so-called “Hand of God” and the “Goal of the Century” against England during the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup was sold for $3.35 million at an auction held in the United States.
The auction, organized by Heritage Auctions this Saturday, began with a reserve price of $2.5 million. However, the Adidas Azteca ball ultimately sold for well below the $10 million that the Dallas-based firm had estimated as its potential value.
With this ball, Maradona was the star of two of the most memorable moments in World Cup history. First, he beat goalkeeper Peter Shilton by striking the ball with his fist to score the “Hand of God.” Then, he completed a spectacular run from midfield, dribbling past five English players and Shilton himself to score the second goal.
The referee of that match, Ali Bin Nasser, kept the ball for 36 years. In 2022, he decided to sell it for $2.37 million. The following year, its new owner attempted to put it up for sale again, but the deal fell through because no offers exceeded the minimum asking price.
The ball wasn’t the only memento from that historic match to fetch a million-dollar price tag. The jersey Maradona wore against England—which he traded with English player Steve Hodge—was auctioned in London in 2022 for $9.28 million, setting a record at the time for a piece of sports memorabilia.
