Maradona’s famous goal ball sold in England for two million pounds

The ball with which the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England was sold for two million pounds ($2.4 million) at the auction in London on Wednesday.

The white Adidas ‘Azteca’ soccer ball, owned by Tunisian referee Ali Bennacer, was expected to fetch £3m ($3.6m) when it was auctioned off by Graham Bad in the UK.

It comes six months after the shirt worn by Maradona in the same match sold for an estimated $9.3 million, more than double the value Sotheby’s expected at the time.

The ball – inspired by Aztec architecture and murals – was used for the full 90 minutes of the match in Mexico City in 1986, years before the multi-ball system was introduced.

The confrontation experienced a sharp escalation due to the political tensions following the Falklands war in 1982, and the two most famous goals in the history of the World Cup were scored: one infamous and the other a summit of magnificence at the famous “Astica” stadium.

The first came in the 51st minute when England player Steve Hodge intercepted a ball on the outskirts of the England penalty area and tried to return it towards his goalkeeper Peter Shelton, then Maradona ran towards it inside the area and got up to follow with his head as the goalkeeper came out, but used his hand to open the scoring.

The England players complained to the Tunisian referee, but he didn’t bother them and awarded the goal.

The Argentine then raised the controversy by saying that the goal was scored: a little by Maradona’s head and a little by the hand of God.

Four minutes later Maradona strikes again and this time there is no doubt. The player, who died aged 60 of heart failure in 2020, collected the ball in midfield and juggled four England defenders, before overtaking Shilton and shooting on goal that was chosen as the ‘Goal of the Century’ in a poll conducted by the International Football Association (FIFA) in 2002.

Argentina won 2-1 before winning their second and final world title against Germany in the final.

In announcing that the ball would be auctioned off last month, Bin Nasser said: This ball is part of the history of world football, it seems like the right time to share it with the world.

He also defended his decision not to disallow Maradona’s goal: I didn’t see the shot properly. I saw the players, Shelton and Maradona, from behind. As per FIFA’s pre-tournament instructions, I watched the linesman to make sure the goal was correct – he returned to the halfway line indicating that he was convinced the goal should have been awarded.

He continued: At the end of the match, England manager Bobby Robson said to me: You did a good job, but the assistant referee was irresponsible.

The shirt, sold at auction last May, will be exhibited in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, which starts on Sunday.