Maradona’s Hand of God ball sells for £2.5m (₹31.59 crore): The story behind football’s most controversial goal

The football used for Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup has sold for £2.5 million ($3.3 million) at auction.

Maradona scored Argentina’s first goal in their 2-1 quarter-final victory by punching the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. After the match, he famously described the goal as being scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.”

What made Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal so iconic? Here’s the story behind it

Minutes later, Maradona produced another iconic moment, dribbling past five England players before scoring what was later dubbed the ‘Goal of the Century’.

The ball was auctioned by Heritage Auctions in the US on Saturday, but fell well short of its estimated value of £7.3 million ($10 million).

Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer at Heritage, told Reuters before the auction, "It's a true one-of-one item. Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists."

Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who officiated the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, took the Adidas Azteca match ball home after the game and kept it for more than 30 years.

In 2023, Bin Nasser signed a statement confirming that the ball was the only one used during the match. Its authenticity has since been backed by additional independent verification.

Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37 million (£1.74 million). The buyer later attempted to auction it in 2023, but the sale fell through after bids failed to reach the reserve price.

Meanwhile, the shirt Maradona wore during the historic match fetched £7.1 million at auction in 2022.

The Hand of God was scored in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England, just four years after the Falklands War, which made the emotionally and politically significant for both countries.

Maradona used his hand to score, but the referee did not see the infringement and allowed the goal. Maradona later famously called it the “Hand of God.”

Argentina won 2-1, with the goal helping them advance to the semi-finals and eventually win the World Cup.

Just minutes later, Maradona scored the ‘Goal of the Century’ in the same match, dribbling past several England players. Having two such contrasting goals in one game made the match legendary.

Maradona's unapologetic description of the goal, partly his head, partly the “hand of God, turned an act of cheating into one of football's most recognisable moments.

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