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Diego Maradona 'Hand of God' Ball Sells for £2.5m Record

2026-08-24 · Diego Maradona · Player Focus

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 ($3.3m). The sale took place at Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday, marking a significant moment in sports memorabilia history.

What was the Hand of God goal?

Diego Maradona famously punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton in Argentina's 2-1 quarter-final win over England. After the match, the legendary striker told reporters that the goal had been scored 'a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God'.

Later in that same match, the Argentine scored what became known as the 'goal of the century'. He dribbled past five England outfield players before slotting the ball past Peter Shilton.

How was the ball preserved?

The Adidas Azteca ball was held by Ali Bin Nasser, the Tunisian referee who officiated the historic match in 1986. He collected the ball at full-time and kept it for more than three decades. In 2023, he signed a letter to confirm it was the only ball used during the game, a claim that was later verified by independent authentication.

Bin Nasser first sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37m (£1.74m). The new owner then put it up for auction again in 2023, but it did not sell because bids did not meet the minimum value set. The final price of £2.5m was lower than the expected $10m (£7.3m).

Mike Provenzale, a specialist auctioneer at Heritage, described the item as a true one-of-one and arguably the most significant soccer item in existence. For comparison, the shirt worn by Diego Maradona during the same match sold for £7.1m at auction in 2022.

  • The 'Hand of God' ball sold for £2.5m in August 2026.
  • The ball was kept by referee Ali Bin Nasser for over 30 years.
  • The shirt from the same 1986 match sold for £7.1m in 2022.

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