Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' football sold for $3.3m
What's the story
The iconic football that Diego Maradona used to score his legendary 'hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup has been sold for a whopping £2.5 million ($3.3 million). The sale took place at Heritage Auctions in the US and was well below the anticipated price tag of $10 million (£7.3 million). The ball was collected by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser after Argentina's quarter-final match against England.
Goal details
Maradona's 'hand of God' goal
In 1986, Maradona used the famous phrase "The Hand of God" to describe a goal that he scored for Argentina during the WC quarter-final match.
The critics argued that he should have received a yellow card for using his hand. After Argentina defeated England 2-1, Maradona stated the goal was scored "a little with his head, and a little with the hand of God".
In late 2020, Maradona passed away at the age of 60.
Provenance
The ball was kept for over 3 decades
The Adidas Azteca ball was kept by Bin Nasser for over three decades. In 2023, he confirmed in a letter that it was the only ball used during the match.
This claim has been backed by further independent authentication. Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37 million (£1.74 million).
Its new owner put it up for auction again in 2023 but failed to meet the minimum bid value set at that time.
Auction history
Maradona's shirt from the same match sold for £7.1 million
Notably, Maradona's shirt from the same match was sold for £7.1 million at an auction in 2022.
The ball that was used to score the famous 'hand of God' goal is considered a one-of-a-kind item and possibly the most significant soccer artifact ever.
Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer at Heritage, said before the sale, "It's a true one-of-one item."