In the space of four minutes during the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals between Argentina and England, Diego Armando Maradona launched himself to an immortal status with the goal of the century. However, it was what came earlier that blew up criticism in the manner of which El Pibe de Oro scored the first of his brace – the infamous goal he termed the ‘Hand of God’.
The ball used in that match has now been put up for sale by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who took the Adidas Azteca ball home immediately after the Albiceleste’s iconic but controversial 2-1 win over the Three Lions.
It will be auctioned on November 16 at Graham Budd Auctions in London, and potential buyers will be able to register bids online from October 28. The ball has an estimated value of £3M i.e. equivalent to €3.5M.
“This ball is part of the history of football, it is the right time to share it with the world,” said Bin Nasser (via TuttoNapoli).
It is understood that 79-year-old retired match official decided to auction the ball off after seeing the number 10 shirt worn by Maradona in the same game sell for over £7M earlier this year.
Thanks largely to the Tunisian’s flawed decision of letting Maradona’s first goal stand, Argentina progressed to the semi-final of the World Cup, eventually going on to win the final 3-2 against West Germany.
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