Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball sells for £2.5m at auction

The football Diego Maradona used to score his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold at auction for £2.5m.

Maradona punched the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton as Argentina won their quarter-final 2-1.

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After the match, the Argentine famously described the goal as having been scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.

He then produced another moment of brilliance in the same game, weaving past five England outfield players before rounding off what became known as the ‘goal of the century’ by beating Shilton again.

The ball sold for $3.3m (£2.5m) at Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday, although it had been expected to fetch closer to $10m (£7.3m).

“It’s a true one-of-one item. Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists,” Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer at Heritage, told Reuters before the sale.

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

In 2023, Bin Nasser signed a letter confirming that it was the only ball used during the match. Its authenticity was later supported by further independent verification.

Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37m (£1.74m). The new owner put it back on the auction block in 2023, but it failed to sell after bids fell short of the minimum value.

The shirt Maradona wore during the match sold for £7.1m at auction in 2022.