Photo: PA Images / Legion-Media
Before the auction, Heritage auctioneer Mike Provenzale called the ball “a truly unique item” and one of the most significant soccer artifacts in the world.
The ball’s history is tied to one of the most famous moments in soccer history. In the quarterfinal match against England at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Maradona outmaneuvered goalkeeper Peter Shilton and used his hand to send the ball into the net. Tunisian referee Ali Ben Nasser allowed the goal because he could not clearly see the foul. After the match, Maradona stated that the ball had entered the net “a little with Maradona’s head and a little with the hand of God.”
Just four minutes later, the Argentine scored his second goal, dribbling past several opponents. That goal was later dubbed the “Goal of the Century.”
It was Ben Nasser who kept the ball after the match. He kept it for 36 years and put it up for auction for the first time in 2022. At that time, the highest bid was £2 million, but the reserve price was not met. In February 2023, the ball was put up for auction again, but it did not find a buyer.
Heritage experts confirmed the item’s authenticity. They compared the ball’s distinctive marks and other features with photographs of the match and images of other Adidas Azteca balls used during the World Cup.
However, the ball did not become Maradona’s most expensive soccer artifact. In 2022, his jersey from the same match was sold at Sotheby’s for $9.3 million.
Nor did the lot set a record among sports balls. In 2024, the baseball with which Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the MLB season sold for $4.39 million, including the commission.
The 1986 Argentina–England match took on special symbolic significance due to the political tensions between the two countries following the 1982 Falklands War.
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