Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball sells for £2.5m

Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' ball has recently sold at auction for £2.5m. The legendary footballer famously used the ball to score against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, kicking it past goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Maradona explained that the goal was scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God".

The ball, produced by Adidas Azteca, fetched $3.3m (£2.5m) at Heritage Auctions in the US, though it was expected to attract a higher bid. Prior to the auction, auctioneer Mike Provenzale described the item as "a true one-of-one item" and the most significant soccer artifact in existence. The ball was initially collected by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser following the match in 1986 and held onto for over three decades.

In 2023, Bin Nasser certified the ball as the sole item used in the game through a signed letter, which was later verified by independent authentication. The ball was previously sold for $2.37m (£1.74m) in 2022. When Maradona scored the 'Hand of God' goal, he also played a notable match-winning goal, known as the 'Goal of the Century', scoring past five England defenders before slotting the ball past Shilton.