The football with which Argentine legend Diego Maradona scored his famous “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup has sold at an auction for $3.35 million (approximately PKR 927 million).
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 of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.
Maradona later scored what became known as the “Goal of the Century” in the same game, dribbling past five England outfield players before slotting the ball past Shilton.
The Adidas Azteca ball sold for $3.35 million at Heritage Auctions in the United States (US) on Saturday, although it had been expected to fetch closer to $10 million (approximately PKR 2.77 billion).
Speaking before the auction, Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer at Heritage, said, “It’s a true one-of-one item. Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists.”
Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who officiated the match in 1986, collected the Adidas Azteca ball at full-time and kept it for more than three decades.
In 2023, Bin Nasser signed a letter confirming that it was the only ball used during the match. Its identity was also confirmed through further independent authentication.
Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37 million (approximately PKR 656.49 million). Its new owner put it up for auction again in 2023, but it failed to sell after bids did not meet the minimum value set.
