How much could Diego Maradona ‘Hand of God’ ball be sold for?
Maradona scored the opening goal of the game by punching the ball past England netminder Peter Shilton.
The match ball used by Diego Maradona to score his “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup is to go on auction next month.
The World Cup ball used in the quarter-final fixture between England and Argentina carries an estimated price of £2.5m to £3m and is being sold by Ali Bin Nasser, the referee who allowed Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal to stand in the game.
“This ball is part of football history - it is the right time to be sharing it with the world,” Bin Nasser said.
Maradona, who died in November 2020, scored the opening goal of the game by punching the ball past England netminder Peter Shilton.
Bin Nasser didn’t spot the handball and allowed the goal to stand. Maradona went on to describe the goal as being “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.
Maradona’s second goal was sensational, dribbling past five England players before scoring past Shilton.
“Hand of God” helps Argentina win World Cup
Argentina won the match 2-1 on the way to becoming 1986 World Cup champions in Mexico.
The ball is being sold at auction on 16 November as part of a World Cup special event and prospective buyers can register their bids online from 28 October.
“The timing of the match, the history between the two teams and the handball have all led to this match going down as one of the most famous and emotive matches in football history,” said Graham Budd, chairman of Graham Budd Auctions.
“With the history surrounding the ball, we are expecting this lot to be hugely popular when it comes up for auction.”
Hodge sells Maradona shirt
Next month’s auction comes just months after Maradona’s shirt from the Argentina-England game was sold for £7m by former England midfielder Steve Hodge, who had swapped shirts with the Argentinian legend at full-time. It was a world record for a piece of sports memorabilia.