{
  "id": 2911279,
  "title": "Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball sells for US$3.35mil at auction",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-us-3-35mil-at-auction",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T00:37:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/08/24/maradona-s-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-us-3-35-million-at-auction"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal, scored against England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, sold for $3.35 million at auction, according to Heritage Auctions. The Adidas Azteca ball, used in Argentina's 2-1 victory over England, was estimated to fetch at least $10 million, but the final price was well below that. Authenticated by experts through photographs from the match, the ball held historical significance as one of the most iconic sports artifacts. Former referee Ali Bin Nasser had kept the ball for 36 years before its sale. The shirt Maradona wore in the match also fetched a high price of nearly $9.3 million at Sotheby's the following year. The latest sale, however, did not break the auction record for a ball from any sport, which was held by Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball from his 2024 MLB season, selling for $4.392 million. The highest sports memorabilia auction record is held by Babe Ruth's New York Yankees jersey from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, which sold for $24.12 million in 2024.",
  "summary": "The Adidas Azteca was used in Argentina’s 2-1 win over England as Diego Maradona scored two memorable World Cup goals.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball sells for US$3.35mil at auction",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-us-3-35mil-at-auction-2915979",
        "published": "2026-08-24T00:37:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball from Mexico sells for $3.35m",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-from-mexico-sells-for-3-35m",
        "published": "2026-08-24T04:19:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC World",
        "title": "Maradona's 'Hand of God' ball sells for £2.5m",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-2-5m",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:55:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Maradona's 'Hand of God' ball sells for £2.5m",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-2-5m-2967804",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:55:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}