The ball used in Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal and his iconic strike score against England at the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals sold for $3.35 million Saturday, Heritage Auctions said.
The Dallas-based auction house sold the ball after experts matched it to photographs taken during the match but the final price fell significantly short of the pre-auction estimate of at least $10 million.
Prior to the auction, Heritage described it as arguably the most famous ball in any sport and said it could become the most valuable football item ever sold.
Maradona earned the phrase "Hand of God" for his opening goal against England when referees missed his left-handed punch past goalkeeper Peter Shilton and allowed the score to stand.
Just four minutes later, the Argentine captain took possession in his own half and wove past five English players, scoring a goal which fans later voted FIFA's World Cup "Goal of the Century."
Match referee Ali Bin Nasser of Tunisia, who officiated the match, held onto the ball for 36 years before it was first auctioned in London in 2022 for 2 million pounds ($2.37 million).
Maradona’s shirt from the same match later sold for almost $9.3 million at Sotheby’s.
The recent sale also did not break the record for the most expensive sports ball. Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from his historic 2024 MLB campaign fetched $4.392 million, including buyer’s premium.
The record for the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia belongs to Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees jersey from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series. Heritage Auctions sold it for $24.12 million, including the buyer’s premium, in 2024.
