Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ football sells for US$3.35 million at US auction

The football with which Diego Maradona scored his “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold at auction for US$3.35 million.The sale price achieved by Heritage Auctions in the United States was around US$6.7 million below the US$10 million estimate.The Dallas-based auction house had placed a US$2.5 million starting price on the Adidas Azteca ball.Maradona scored twice in Argentina’s quarter-final victory over England on June 22, 1986 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.He controversially punched the opener beyond England goalkeeper Peter Shilton before scoring a superb individual effort, later voted “Goal of the Century”.The Argentina playmaker, who died aged 60 in November 2020, claimed his contentious first goal was scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.