MARADONA 'HAND OF GOD' BALL SELLS FOR £2.5M AT AUCTION

The football used by Diego Maradona to score his famous "Hand of God" goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold at auction for £2.5m. Heritage Auctions conducted the sale in the United States on Saturday. The final price fell significantly short of pre-sale expectations, which had estimated the ball could fetch as much as £7.3m. Maradona scored twice in Argentina's 2-1 quarter-final victory over England in Mexico City, first with the controversial handball and then with a solo dribbling run past five English outfield players.

Match referee Ali Bin Nasser of Tunisia retained the Adidas Azteca ball for more than three decades after the 1986 match. Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for £1.74m to its previous owner, who entered it for auction in 2023; those bids did not meet the reserve price set at that time. In 2023, Bin Nasser signed a letter confirming the ball was the only one used during the match, a claim that has received independent authentication. After the game, Maradona told reporters the opening goal was scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God".

Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer at Heritage, described the ball as "a true one-of-one item" and "arguably the most significant football item that exists". The sale value represents an increase on the 2022 price but remains well below the pre-auction estimate. The Maradona shirt worn during the same match sold for £7.1m at auction in 2022.