As a piece of history, the Maradona Hand of God match ball is a historic item and will be in high demand as it represents not only Maradona’s legendary skills as a player but also the momentous event in soccer history that took place during the 1986 World Cup.
The Hand of God match ball, used in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England is famously remembered for Maradona’s controversial handball goal, where he used his hand to score the winning goal.
The match ball belonged to the referee Ali Bin Nasser, who has had it since the game was played on June 22, 1986, and later handover to the auction.
$6 million was the toast to the ball but after offering $2 million to the priceless memorabilia piece, auctioneers Graham Budd failed to grab the ball.
Ken Goldin was one of the auctioneers too to face the same fate as Graham Budd and the $6 million valuation couldn’t meet.
✊😇🇦🇷⚽
This is the historic Diego Maradona "Hand of God" & "Goal of the Century" Soccer Ball 🤩
It's available to bid on now in our January Sports Elite Auction, which closes tomorrow at 9pm ET ⏰
Bid now so you can qualify for extended bidding: https://t.co/sDwHOiYQCT pic.twitter.com/bVMpEYPenK
— Goldin (@GoldinCo) February 7, 2023
“This ball is central to arguably the most iconic moment in sports history. The legacies of Maradona and the ‘Hand of God’ are forever intertwined and generations from now their story will still be told by fans around the world.” – Co. Founder Ken Goldin said recently.
“With Lionel Messi heroically leading Argentina to its latest World Cup triumph, we anticipate renewed interest in the legend of Maradona and of the ball that changed soccer forever.”
However, the kit from the game of Diego Maradona has crossed the bidding of $9 million despite the ball being the hot topic.
Maradona also scored another goal in that match against England which is widely considered to be one of the greatest goals in World Cup history. He dribbled past five England players to score the goal, displaying his exceptional dribbling skills and close control of the ball.
On this day in 1986, Diego Maradona scored one of the greatest goals ever witnessed at the World Cup 🇦🇷
(via @FIFAWorldCup)pic.twitter.com/YmO0h24bZa
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 22, 2022
Argentina went on to win the 1986 World Cup, with Maradona being named the tournament’s best player. His performance in the 1986 World Cup solidified his place as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, and his iconic goals in that tournament continue to be celebrated and remembered by fans around the world.
