A historic football used in Diego Maradona’s infamous 1986 World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and England sold for $3.35 million at auction on Tuesday, falling short of pre-sale expectations.
The Adidas Azteca ball, which Maradona controversially guided into the net with his hand in the 51st minute—the so-called ‘Hand of God’ goal—was purchased by an unidentified buyer at Heritage Auctions in the United States. Estimates had ranged as high as $10 million, while the opening bid was set at $2.5 million. The ball’s sale price of $3.35 million marks a decline from the $4.39 million paid for a baseball used by Shohei Ohtani in 2023, which currently holds the record for the most expensive sports memorabilia ever auctioned.
The match, played at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on June 22, 1986, carried significant political weight due to the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom. Maradona later described the goal as symbolic retribution, stating it felt ‘as if we had recovered a piece of the Falklands.’ He added that the deception involved made the moment ‘even more beautiful.’
The ball had been retained by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who officiated the game, for decades before its first auction in 2022. That sale fetched $2.37 million. In contrast, the jersey worn by Maradona during the match—a piece that combined the ‘Hand of God’ and ‘Goal of the Century’ moments—achieved a record $9.3 million at Sotheby’s in 2024, exceeding expectations.
Despite its historical significance as arguably the most famous ball in football history, the $3.35 million price fell short of surpassing the current record for sports memorabilia, underscoring the volatility of high-end collectibles markets.
