Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ ball has sold for £2.5 million ($3.35 million) at auction, more than four decades after it was used in one of the most controversial matches in World Cup history.

The Adidas Azteca ball was used during Argentina’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over England at the 1986 World Cup, with Maradona scoring both of his side’s goals in the space of four minutes.

The ball was sold by Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday, with bidding opening at $2.5 million. However, the final price fell well short of the auction house’s $10 million (£7.3m) estimate.

The ball behind two iconic Diego Maradona goals

The ball’s significance stems from the extraordinary sequence at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on June 22, 1986.

Six minutes into the second half, Maradona challenged England goalkeeper Peter Shilton for a loose ball and used his left hand to knock it into the net.

The goal stood after Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser failed to spot the handball, despite England’s protests. Maradona later famously described the goal as being scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.

Just four minutes later, the same ball was involved in another moment that became part of football folklore.

Maradona collected possession inside his own half before embarking on a remarkable run through England’s defence. He beat several defenders before rounding Shilton and finishing to give Argentina a 2-0 lead.

The goal was subsequently named the ‘Goal of the Century’ in a FIFA poll.

England pulled one goal back through Gary Lineker, but Argentina held on to win 2-1 and eventually went on to lift the World Cup, with Maradona captaining the side to their second world title.

Referee kept the ball for more than three decades

Bin Nasser collected the Adidas Azteca ball after the match and kept it for more than 35 years.

The Tunisian referee later signed a letter confirming that it was the ball used throughout the Argentina-England quarter-final. Independent authentication subsequently backed up its provenance.

The ball was first sold by Bin Nasser in 2022 for $2.37 million (£1.74m).

It returned to the auction market in 2023, when it attracted a final bid of $2.04 million. However, the sale was not completed because the bid failed to meet the undisclosed reserve price.

Its latest sale has now pushed the value of the piece of football history to $3.35 million.

Maradona shirt remains significantly more valuable

Despite the enormous price attached to the ball, it remains some distance behind another piece of memorabilia from the same match.

The shirt worn by Maradona during the 1986 quarter-final sold for £7.1 million ($9.28m) at auction in 2022.

The ‘Hand of God’ ball also failed to challenge the record for the most expensive sports ball sold at auction. Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from his historic 2024 MLB season fetched $4.392 million.

The overall record for sports memorabilia belongs to a Babe Ruth jersey worn during the 1932 World Series, which sold for $24.12 million in 2024.

A unique piece of football history

Heritage Auctions had described the Maradona ball as potentially one of the most significant football items ever offered at auction.

Its value comes not simply from its association with one of football’s greatest players, but from its direct connection to two of the most famous goals in World Cup history.

In four minutes, the ball was at the centre of both the controversy of the ‘Hand of God’ and the brilliance of the ‘Goal of the Century’.

For collectors, that makes it a uniquely important piece of football history – even if the final $3.35 million price tag fell well below the lofty expectations set before the auction.