The mystery behind Maradona’s two historic goals against England in Mexico 86: what happened to the ball

10 times touched the ball Maradona in the 60 meter race after which he signed The Goal of the Century, the greatest work of art in the history of football. Only once did the rapporteur mention Victor Hugo Morales the word “ball” during the narration that accompanied the deed towards eternity; that of the “cosmic kite”, which became the surname of the conquest. Only once did she hit Diego the ball with his fist four minutes earlier, with The hand of God hidden behind his curly hair, to overcome the exit of a much taller Peter Shilton and mask his mischief before the distracted gaze of Tunisian referee Ali Bennaceur. What is not known, precisely, is what happened to the ball.

Beyond the controversy, the declarations of Dalma Maradona and the various handmade blue jackets with the number 10 number of the captain of the Argentine national team, everything indicates that the shirt that the genius of world football wore in the second half against England , and with which he shouted the two goals for the quarterfinals of Mexico 86 that June 22, It was left in the hands of an Asian collector at the auction that ended on May 4: to get the piece that Pelusa exchanged with the British Steve Hodge paid 7,142,500 pounds ($9.2 million). The boots that the star wore, those that assisted him in the chain of gambetas, are part of the “museum” for which Diego knew how to litigate with Claudia Villafañe. The ball of the final, the 3-2 against Germany that crowned the feat, was treasured by Roberto Mariani, one of Carlos Salvador Bilardo’s field assistants. But the whereabouts of the match ball symbol of the last Argentine title in a World Cup, the peak of the career of the legendary link, is unknown.

If there is someone who delved into that seasoned encounter stopped in time, it was the journalist Andres Burgo, creator of the book “The party”. For his work, he obtained the testimony of several primary and secondary protagonists around the duel and the milestones of Diego Armando; among them, that of Berny Ulloawith the role of assistant judge in the cast. The Costa Rican left him a clue about the path that the ball made, to which the Argentine left an indelegable patina of his magic.

“I asked him about the book and he told me: ‘An official from FIFA came and took it away’. It is the great little mystery. You know where everything is, except the ball. It would cost a fortune, I’m not saying 9 million like Maradona’s shirt was auctioned, but more or less”, offered the author a pill of his research.

“What I imagine is that the assistant took it and maybe they used it in another game. The World Cup continued, that match with the passage of time was resignified, but history was still being written, if Argentina lost later it would not have been the same. It was not one more game by any means, but at that time it was not the last game, the final, ”Burgo expanded on his presumption.

Perhaps someone from the entity that governs the discipline worldwide managed to notice in time the gem that was mixed among other balls? Following the possible trail of the cunning employee, Infobae consulted with him FIFA Museum, which greets pearl-laden fans at the organization’s headquarters in Zurich. But in the building, among the testimonies of the sporting glory of enormous figures that fueled the popularity of football, the aforementioned ball does not nest Azteca that Maradona made immortal.

“The ball you mention from the Argentina-England match in Mexico 1986 is not part of the FIFA Museum Collection. As part of our permanent 1986 FIFA World Cup exhibit, we have on display a jersey worn by Diego Maradona during the tournament“, answered Andreas Alfhead of space communications.

Indeed, the images confirm that there is a Diego jacket, but light blue and white (and not the blue one used against the British), within a presentation of great visual impact. It is true that Diez was able to turn any sphere or element into a ball, from an orange to a soda cap, without the need for symbolic content. But did he ever think of going in search of the missing link in his definitive work?

“As far as I know, he never looked for her. He himself has spoken countless times about the shirt with which he scored goals against England; of the boots… Also of the Boca shirt with which he scored the last goal of his career, which he gave to referee Pascualino. But he never showed nostalgia for that ball, “he told Infobae a member of Maradona’s inner circle until before his death.

For now, despite its unknown whereabouts, the ball to which Diego gave the most fame will continue to fulfill its destiny: to accompany Pelusa in the most wonderful football adventure every time a fan wants to be happy by playing the Goal of the century.

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