Full Breakdown
Maradona’s “Hand of God” Ball Sells for $3.35 Million, Well Below $10 Million Estimate
8/24/2026, 9:02:21 PM
Core Event: Auction Sale Details
On August 24, the Adidas Azteca ball that Diego Maradona used to score both the “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final was sold at Heritage Auctions in the United States for $3.35 million (? £2.5 million). Heritage had listed the item with a pre-auction estimate of at least $10 million (? £7.3 million), a figure that the final hammer price failed to approach.
Background & Context
The ball was the official match ball for the 22 June 1986 Argentina-England quarter-final in Mexico. After the game, Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser collected the ball and retained it for more than three decades. In 2023 he signed a letter confirming that it was the sole ball used during the match, a claim later verified by independent authentication experts.
The ball entered the auction market in 2022 when Bin Nasser sold it for $2.37 million (? £1.74 million). A 2023 auction attempt failed to meet the reserve price, leaving the item unsold until the August 2024 sale.
Data & Statistics
- Sale price: $3.35 million (? £2.5 million) – Heritage Auctions.
- Pre-sale estimate: $10 million (? £7.3 million) – Heritage Auctions.
- Previous 2022 sale: $2.37 million (? £1.74 million) – Bin Nasser.
- Maradona’s shirt from the same match: sold for $9.3 million (? £7.1 million) in 2022.
- Most expensive sports ball record: Shohei Ohtani’s 2024 50th home-run ball sold for $4.392 million.
- Overall sports memorabilia record: Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series jersey fetched $24.12 million in 2024.
Official Statements & Responses
The auction house’s production manager, Mike Provenzale, emphasized the ball’s uniqueness, describing it as “a true one-of-one item.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “It's a true one-of-one item. Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists.” — Mike Provenzale, heritage production manager
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Most outlets reported the final price in either U.S. dollars or British pounds, with conversions aligning at $3.35 million and £2.5 million respectively. No source provided a detailed breakdown of the buyer’s premium, leaving the exact net proceeds to the seller unconfirmed.
Why It Matters
The sale illustrates the premium placed on singular moments in sports history, yet also shows the limits of market expectations. Despite the ball’s iconic status, the final price fell far short of the $10 million estimate, underscoring that even legendary artifacts must compete with broader collector trends and recent high-profile sales such as Ohtani’s home-run ball and Ruth’s jersey.