Maradona 'Hand of God' Ball Sells For £2.5 Million At Auction
According to the BBC, the football Diego Maradona used to score his famous 'hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup sold at auction for $3.3 million (£2.5 million) at Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday. The ball had been expected to fetch about $10 million (£7.3 million), and auctioneer Mike Provenzale told Reuters before the sale that it was a one-of-one item and arguably the most significant soccer item in existence. Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser kept the Adidas Azteca ball for more than three decades after the match, signed a letter in 2023 confirming it was the only ball used, and the item was further authenticated independently. Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37 million (£1.74 million), and the shirt Maradona wore in the same match sold for £7.1 million at auction in 2022.
According to the BBC, the football Diego Maradona used to score his famous 'hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup sold at auction for $3.3 million (£2.5 million) at Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday. The ball had been expected to fetch about $10 million (£7.3 million), and auctioneer Mike Provenzale told Reuters before the sale that it was a one-of-one item and arguably the most significant soccer item in existence. Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser kept the Adidas Azteca ball for more than three decades after the match, signed a letter in 2023 confirming it was the only ball used, and the item was further authenticated independently. Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37 million (£1.74 million), and the shirt Maradona wore in the same match sold for £7.1 million at auction in 2022.