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The ball used for Diego Maradona’s two iconic goals against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final has been sold at auction for $3.35 million, or more than Tk41 crore.
Texas-based Heritage Auctions sold the Adidas Azteca ball on Saturday. The auction house had expected it to fetch at least $10 million, but the final price was less than half that estimate.
The ball was used in Argentina’s 2-1 victory over England in the quarter-final at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. Maradona scored both goals with the same ball—the infamous ‘Hand of God’ and what FIFA later voted the ‘Goal of the Century’.
In the 51st minute, Maradona beat England goalkeeper Peter Shilton to the ball and appeared to use his left hand to guide it into the net. Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who failed to clearly see the incident, allowed the goal to stand.
Maradona later famously joked that the goal was scored “a little by the head of Maradona and a little by the hand of God.”
Four minutes later, he produced one of the most celebrated goals in football history, collecting the ball in his own half and weaving past several England players before rounding Shilton and scoring.
The ball had remained with Bin Nasser for decades. He first put it up for auction in 2022, when it sold for $2.37 million through Graham Budd Auctions. It was offered again in 2023 but failed to sell after the reserve price was not met.
The latest auction followed renewed interest in the historic match ball around the World Cup.
Interestingly, Maradona’s shirt from the same match fetched far more than the ball. It was sold by Sotheby’s in 2022 for $9.3 million, setting a record at the time for a sports item worn during a match.