The football with which Argentine player Diego Maradona scored his iconic ‘Hand of God’ goal has been sold at auction for 3.35 million US dollars (around 2.9 million euros) by Heritage Auctions in the United States.
The sale of the ball used when Maradona opened the scoring against England (2-1) in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico ultimately fell short of initial expectations. It was anticipated that the auction, which opened with a starting bid of 2.5 million dollars, would shatter records and fetch up to 10 million.
Maradona’s first goal against England at Mexico ’86 remains one of the most famous moments in World Cup history, as the Argentine beat goalkeeper Peter Shilton using his hand without Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser detecting the infraction, much to the dismay of the English side.
Later, the legendary player—considered by many to be the greatest in football history, who passed away in 2020 at age 60—described the goal as having been scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”
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In that same match, the Argentine proceeded to score what is widely regarded as the goal of the century, dribbling past half the English team to double the lead to 2-0.
In the 81st minute, Gary Lineker, who finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, pulled one back for England, but Argentina held on to advance and ultimately won the world title with a 3-2 victory over West Germany in the final.
In 2022, the number 10 jersey worn by Maradona during that historic match was sold at auction for over eight million euros.
