Maradona's 'Hand of God' Ball Sells for $3.35M at Heritage Auctions

The Adidas Azteca soccer ball from the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, during which Diego Maradona netted his notorious 'Hand of God' goal, fetched $3.35 million at Heritage Auctions in Texas. This amount fell well short of the anticipated $10 million presale estimate. Tunisian referee Ali Ben Nasser had preserved the ball for 36 years before it was first auctioned in 2022, where it did not meet its reserve price. It was offered again at Goldin in February 2023 but remained unsold. Experts verified its authenticity through photos, matching unique markings to images from the game. Heritage Auctions' Mike Provenzale called it "a true one-of-a-kind item." The sale price was less than the $9.3 million for Maradona's shirt from the same match, which set a record in 2022, and did not surpass the $4.39 million record for a sports ball, held by Shohei Ohtani's 50th home-run ball sold in 2024. The match took place at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, notable for occurring four years post the Falklands War between Argentina and the UK.