{
  "id": 3190658,
  "title": "Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball sells for £2.5m",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-2-5m",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T04:28:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Chronicle Ghana",
    "slug": "the-chronicle-ghana",
    "url": "https://thechronicle.com.gh/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-2-5m/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The football that Diego Maradona used to score his infamous 'hand of God' goal during Argentina's 2-1 quarter-final victory over England at the 1986 World Cup has been auctioned for £2.5 million. The Argentine legend famously used both his head and his hand to score the goal, which he later described as \"a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God\". Maradona continued his impressive performance in the same match by scoring what is now known as the 'goal of the century' - a dazzling dribble past five England players before finding the back of the net. The ball fetched $3.3 million (£2.5 million) at Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday, although it had been expected to command a higher price of around $10 million (£7.3 million). Prior to the auction, Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer at Heritage, praised the item as \"a true one-of-one item. Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists\". Ali Bin Nasser, a Tunisian referee who officiated the 1986 match, held onto the Adidas Azteca ball after the game for over three decades before selling it in 2022 for $2.37 million (£1.74 million). The ball's authenticity has been confirmed by further independent authentication, and Bin Nasser documented his ownership in a letter to the auction house. Despite a second auction attempt in 2023 that failed to meet the minimum bid, the shirt worn by Maradona during the same match sold for £7.1 million at auction in 2022.",
  "summary": "The football with which Diego Maradona scored his famous ‘hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup has sold at auction for £2.5m. Maradona famously punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton in Argentina’s 2-1 quarter-final win over England. After the game, he told reporters it had been scored “a little with the head […] The post Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball sells for £2.5m appeared first on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "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",
        "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"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "KahawaTungu",
        "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-3053949",
        "published": "2026-08-24T15:11:15.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "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-3089059",
        "published": "2026-08-24T18:40:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}