{
  "id": 3233289,
  "title": "Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball auctioned for £2.5m",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-auctioned-for-2-5m",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T08:56:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghanaian Times",
    "slug": "ghanaian-times",
    "url": "https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/maradonas-hand-of-god-ball-auctioned-for-2-5m/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' football, which saw him punch the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, has been auctioned for £2.5 million. The Argentine legend famously claimed the goal was scored \"a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.\" Following the game, Maradona revealed he had scored what was later dubbed the 'goal of the century' by dribbling past five English players and slotting the ball past Shilton. Despite Heritage Auctions expecting the ball to fetch nearer $10 million, it sold for $3.3 million ($2.5 million) at the event in the United States. Mike Provenzale, a Heritage Auctions specialist, described the ball as \"a true one-of-one item, arguably the most significant soccer item that exists.\" Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who oversaw the match in 1986, kept the Adidas Azteca ball for over three decades before selling it in 2022 for $2.37 million. The shirt worn by Maradona during the same match also sold for £7.1 million 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 auctioned for £2.5m appeared first…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}