The Soccer Ball Used for Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ World Cup Goal Sells for $3.35 Million at Auction

The soccer ball with which Diego Maradona scored two of Argentina's goals in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England has been sold at auction for $3.35 million. This price was considerably lower than the estimated $10 million. The match, held in Mexico City, saw Maradona score both goals, including the infamous "Hand of God" opener and a subsequent goal just four minutes later.

The sale occurred as part of Heritage Auctions' Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction, an event featuring memorabilia from renowned sports figures such as Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Mike Provenzale, Heritage Auctions' production manager, described the ball as one of exceptional significance, stating that it is iconic enough to capture the attention of even those unfamiliar with soccer or the event.

The sale followed a sequence of events in which Maradona passed the ball to teammate Jorge Valdano, who then played it to the England midfielder Steve Hodge. The ball then reached Maradona, who had better positioning than England's goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Although Maradona's body position appeared to have contacted the ball with his head, English players quickly protested to the referee, claiming a handball.

Despite subsequent replays confirming the use of a hand, the goal stood, leading to Argentina's 2-1 victory. Maradona later famously claimed he scored the goals with a mix of skill, attributing the first to his head and the second to his hand. The ball was later claimed by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who held onto it for 36 years before selling it at auction.

This sale marked roughly one-third of the $9.3 million paid for Maradona's jersey from the same game, which previously set an auction record for sports memorabilia.