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Maradona’s 1986 World Cup ball sells for £2.5m
The ball used for Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal has been sold again at auction.
What happened
The ball used in Argentina’s 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win over England in 1986 sold at a US auction for £2.5m. Diego Maradona scored the disputed “Hand of God” goal with it, then added another goal in the same match. The referee had kept the ball after full-time.
Numbers
- £2.5mAuction sale price for the ball — Sold in the United States
- $10mPre-sale auction estimate — The final bid was lower
- $2.37mPrice paid in the previous sale — The ball sold in 2022
Questions
- Who kept it after the match?
- The Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser took the Adidas Azteca ball at full-time and retained it for more than three decades.
- How was the ball authenticated?
- A letter signed by Bin Nasser confirmed it was the match’s only ball, alongside later independent authentication of its provenance.
- Why is the match still remembered?
- After the handball goal, Maradona dribbled past five England outfield players and scored again, in a goal later given its familiar nickname.
- When did the ball last sell?
- Bin Nasser sold it in 2022, after keeping it from the final whistle until placing it on the market.
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The catch
Coverage identifies the ball as authentic, but does not name the buyer or detail the bidding.
The buyer remains unidentified.