Maradona ‘Hand Of God’ Ball Falls £5m Short Of Auction Valuation

The football used by Diego Maradona to score his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold for $3.35 million (£2.5 million), falling almost £5 million short of its auction valuation.

The Adidas Azteca ball was sold by Heritage Auctions on Saturday evening for $3.35 million, despite the Dallas-based auction house estimating its value at around $10 million (£7.3 million).

The starting price had been set at $2.5 million (£1.8 million).

Maradona scored both goals as Argentina defeated England 2-1 in their controversial quarter-final encounter in Mexico.

His opening goal, which came when he used his hand to beat England goalkeeper Peter Shilton to the ball, became known as the ‘Hand of God’.

Maradona famously described the goal after the match as being scored “a little from the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God”.

Just minutes later, the Argentine captain produced what FIFA would later recognise as the ‘Goal of the Century’, collecting the ball near halfway before dribbling past several England players and lifting it over Shilton.

Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser collected the match ball at full-time and kept it for more than three decades.

Bin Nasser later signed a letter in 2023 confirming that it was the only ball used during the match, with independent authentication also supporting its provenance.

He initially sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37 million (£1.74 million).

The new owner subsequently offered it for auction in 2023, but the sale failed after bids did not reach the reserve price.

Maradona, who died in November 2020, remains one of football’s most iconic figures.

The shirt he wore during the same Argentina-England match was sold at Sotheby’s in London in 2022 for $9.28 million (£7.1 million), setting a world record for a match-worn sports shirt at the time.