Maradona's 'Hand of God' ball sells for £2.5m at Heritage Auctions

The football with which Diego Maradona scored the 'Hand of God' at the 1986 World Cup was sold at Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday for £2.5m.

Maradona punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton as Argentina beat England 2-1 in the quarter-final, a strike he later described to reporters as "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God". In the same game he then scored what became known as the 'goal of the century', dribbling past five England outfield players before slotting the ball past Shilton.

The ball fetched $3.3m (£2.5m) at the Heritage sale, despite expectations that it might realise nearer $10m (£7.3m). Speaking to Reuters before the auction, Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer at Heritage, said: "It's a true one-of-one item. Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists."

Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser collected the Adidas Azteca ball at full-time in 1986 and kept it for more than three decades. In 2023 he signed a letter to confirm it was the only ball used during the match, a claim that has also been confirmed by further independent authentication.

The ball's owner after Bin Nasser put it up for sale again in 2023, but it did not sell as bids did not meet the minimum value set.

Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37m (£1.74m). The shirt Maradona wore in the same match sold for £7.1m at auction in 2022.