The iconic Adidas Azteca ball used during the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and England—featuring both Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal and his “Goal of the Century”—sold at auction in the United States for 3,35 million de dólares (2,9 millones de euros). The sale took place at Heritage Auctions on a Saturday, closing well below initial expectations from the auction house.
A Historic Match Ball Changes Hands
Geopolitical Friction at Estadio Azteca
Played on June 22, 1986, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City before an attendance of 114.000 personas, the match carried intense geopolitical and sporting friction. Within a span of five minutes, Maradona scored his controversial opening goal with his left hand—later describing it as having been scored “a little with the head and a little with the hand of God”—followed by his legendary solo run.
Falling Short of Lofty Projections
Prior to the bidding, Heritage Auctions specialized auctioneer Mike Provenzale told Reuters that the object was “truly a unique piece” and “probably the most important football object that exists.” Despite those projections, the final price fell short of the more than 8,5 millones de euros that the auction house had hoped to clear, though it still commanded a multi-million-dollar figure.
Shadowed by a Record-Breaking Jersey
The financial result stood in contrast to the jersey Maradona wore during the exact same fixture. That shirt was auctioned in 2022 for more than eight million euros, cementing its status as one of the most expensive pieces of sports memorabilia ever sold.
Decades With the Tunisian Referee
The ball’s journey to the auction block spanned decades. Its initial owner was the Tunisian referee who officiated the match, Ali Bin Nasser, who failed to spot the irregularity in real time and kept the Adidas Azteca sphere in his possession for over 30 years. Bin Nasser sold the ball in 2022 for approximately two million euros and subsequently signed an authentication document in 2023 verifying it as the only ball used during the match—a fact later corroborated by independent authentications commissioned by the new owner.
A Final Resale and Lasting Legacy
An attempt to resell the piece later in 2023 failed when incoming bids did not clear the minimum price set at the start of the auction. Forty years after that afternoon in Mexico City, the historic match ball has officially changed hands once again, preserving a tangible piece of one of the most debated and celebrated sequences in football history.
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