ISTANBUL, Aug 24 - The ball used for Argentine footballer Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ goal and celebrated solo effort against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup has sold for US$3.35 million (RM13.52 million) at auction, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing Heritage Auctions.
The Adidas Azteca was used during Argentina’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over England, in which Maradona scored two of the most memorable goals in World Cup history.
The Dallas-based auction house sold the ball, which experts matched to photographs taken during the match, for US$3.35 million on Saturday.
The final price was well below the pre-auction estimate of at least US$10 million.
Before the auction, Heritage described it as arguably the most famous ball in any sport and said it could become the most valuable football item ever sold.
Maradona’s first goal against England became known as the ‘Hand of God’ after he used his left hand to send the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton, with officials allowing the goal to stand.
Four minutes later, the Argentina captain collected the ball in his own half and dribbled past five England players before scoring a goal later voted the FIFA World Cup ‘Goal of the Century’.
The ball was kept for 36 years by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who officiated the match. It was previously sold for £2 million (RM9.56 million) at an auction in London in 2022.
The shirt Maradona wore in the same match sold for nearly US$9.3 million (RM37.53 million) at Sotheby’s later that year.
The latest sale also fell short of the auction record for a ball from any sport. Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from his historic 2024 Major League Baseball season sold for US$4.392 million (RM17.72 million), including the buyer’s premium.
The overall sports memorabilia auction record is held by the New York Yankees jersey Babe Ruth wore during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, which Heritage sold for US$24.12 million (RM97.34 million), including the buyer’s premium, in 2024.
