The shirt Diego Maradona wore when scoring the “Hand of God” goal and the subsequent “Goal of the Century” during Argentina’s win over England in the 1986 World Cup currently stands as the most expensive soccer jersey publicly sold, going for $9.28 million in a 2022 auction
Given the explosion of the collectibles and memorabilia market in the last couple of years, how much would someone pay for the actual ball Maradona used to score maybe the two most famous goals in the history of the sport?
$10 million
At least that’s what Heritage Auctions estimates the value for the deflating white and black “Official World Cup Ball 1986” photo-matched to both Maradona’s “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century” scores on June 22, 1986. This ball will hit the auction block at Heritage starting at the end of the month, ending the weekend of August 21-23
“When it came in, I worked at Heritage for 20 years and there’s been a lot of items that when they arrived, they just shut down the whole department. This is on that list,” Heritage production manager Mike Provenzale said. “It’s an item so iconic, even people who don’t know anything about soccer or know the event can realize the value behind the ball. Having it photo matched to both goals is just the cherry on top.”
This isn’t the first time it’s been put up for auction in recent memory, though
The ball received a final bid of $2.04 million through Goldin in February 2023, but it didn’t sell because it failed to reach an unlisted reserve price (a minimum value set by the seller that bidding needs to reach in order for the sale to be authorized). This Heritage auction for the ball will also have an “undisclosed reserve that Heritage feels is modest based on the importance of the item.” That hasn’t stopped Heritage from believing the “Hand of God” ball should reach 10 figures.
“What we based it on was the jersey Maradona was wearing in that game,” Provenzale said. “We think this is right in there, if not more valuable, given that it’s the actual ball that was put in the goal two times.”
Maradona’s 1986 “Hand of God” ball auctions for $10 million
Asli Pelit and Rachael Tinde
For 40 million Argentines, this ball is priceless
It was there for not one but two of the most infamous and iconic moments in football history
The world’s most talked about goal took place at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium in 1986. Argentina faced England in a match that carried political as well as sporting weight because of the Falklands War. Six minutes into the second half, Maradona challenged England goalkeeper Peter Shilton for a loose ball and punched it into the net with his left hand. The referee didn’t see the handball. The goal stood. If that wasn’t enough to torment England, four minutes later Maradona produced something even more extraordinary. Picking up the ball inside his own half, he weaved past six England players on a mesmerizing 60-meter run before scoring what FIFA would later name the “Goal of the Century.” Argentina won 2-1, and Maradona went on to captain his country to its second World Cup title. Years later, he admitted the first goal should not have counted, but by then it had already become part of football folklore.
The ball first landed in the hands of Ali Bennaceur, the Tunisian referee who officiated the 1986 Argentina-England match. A quote attributed to a letter written by Bennaceur listed within Goldin’s auction description in 2023 said, “Any central referee who directs an official World Cup match and at the end of the match keeps and becomes the sole and exclusive owner of the ball. The ball was used throughout the match without being obliged to use the reserve ball.”
(While it’s unclear if that was actually true at the time, a FIFA spokesperson told the Guardian in 2014 that World Cup match balls are distributed as “souvenirs for the teams and referees, host cities, FIFA partners and the FIFA museum.”)
Provenzale said the ball had been bought privately at some point later on
“(The consignor) waited for technology to catch up so that it could be photo matched and got it (verified) to the ‘Hand of God’ goal,” Provenzale said. “And then pressed a little further and amazingly photomatched it to the ‘Goal the Century’ as well. So with the World Cup going on and the success we’ve had in the past with the biggest items in our industry coming to us, we set up this timetable to sell it while the World Cup was going on.”
And yes, there’s no doubt the ball will be widely aired on World Cup broadcasts leading up to Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal match where reigning champion Argentina will face England
As for the ‘Hand of God” ball now being deflated, Provenzale said, “It just kind of naturally deflated on its own through time. It’s a testament to the value. If it was a $1,000 soccer ball, I’m sure someone would have repaired the bladder inside. The bladder inside is a puncture. But anyone that’s had it in their possession knows the value, it can actually be repaired for about $100
“You just don’t want to mess with history.”
Another key piece of memorabilia from the same match, the captain’s arm band worn by Maradona against England and during that year’s World Cup final against West Germany is up for auction at Sotheby’s ending Thursday. As of Tuesday, bidding had reached $130,000
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