Milan, 24 Aug. (LaPresse) – The ball with which Diego Maradona scored his famous ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup has been sold at auction for €2.9 million. The BBC has reported the news. Maradona struck the ball with his fist, beating goalkeeper Peter Shilton, in the match Argentina won 2–1 against England in the quarter-finals. After the match, he told journalists that the goal had been scored “a bit with my head and a bit with the Hand of God”. With the same ball, Maradona then scored what became known as the ‘goal of the century’ in the same match, dribbling past five English players before slotting the ball past Shilton. Although it was sold for $3.3 million (€2.9 million) by Heritage Auctions in the United States last Saturday, the ball was expected to fetch a figure closer to $10 million (€8.5 million). The Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who officiated the match in 1986, collected the Adidas Azteca ball at the end of the match and kept it for over thirty years. In 2023, he signed a letter confirming that it was the only ball used during the match, a fact also confirmed by further independent authentications. Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37 million (€1.99 million). The new owner put it up for auction again in 2023, but it did not sell as the bids did not reach the set reserve price. The shirt worn by Maradona during the same match was sold at auction in 2022 for €8.3 million.
Football: ‘Hand of God’ ball auction proves a flop – sold for just 2.9 million euros
Milan, 24 Aug. (LaPresse) – The ball with which Diego Maradona scored his famous ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup has been sold at auction for €2.9 million. The BBC has reported the news. Maradona struck the ball with his fist, beating goalkeeper Peter Shilton, in the match Argentina won 2–1 against England in the quarter-finals. After the match, he told journalists that the goal had been scored “a bit with my head and a bit with the Hand of God”. With the same ball, Maradona then scored what became known as the ‘goal of the century’ in the same match, dribbling past five English players before slotting the ball past Shilton. Although it was sold for $3.3 million (€2.9 million) by Heritage Auctions in the United States last Saturday, the ball was expected to fetch a figure closer to $10 million (€8.5 million). The Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who officiated the match in 1986, collected the Adidas Azteca ball at the end of the match and kept it for over thirty years. In 2023, he signed a letter confirming that it was the only ball used during the match, a fact also confirmed by further independent authentications. Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37 million (€1.99 million). The new owner put it up for auction again in 2023, but it did not sell as the bids did not reach the set reserve price. The shirt worn by Maradona during the same match was sold at auction in 2022 for €8.3 million.