"Hand of God" and "Goal of the Century": Maradona's famous ball sold at auction

**The Hand of God and Goal of the Century Ball Sold for $3.35 Million**

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona's famous ball, which featured the Hand of God and Goal of the Century in the 1986 World Cup, has sold for $3.35 million at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The Adidas Azteca ball was initially expected to fetch at least $10 million, making it one of the most expensive items in sports history. However, the final price was much lower than expected.

The historic ball had been kept for 36 years in the home of Tunisian referee Ali Ben Nasser, who officiated that match between Argentina and England (2-1). It was later sold for $2.37 million (£2 million) at an auction in London in 2022. Now it has been sold for an even higher price. Although the ball failed to break the expected record, the jersey Maradona wore in that match was sold at auction in 2022 for $9.3 million.

Recall that in the historic 1986 match, Maradona scored the first goal of the match with his left hand in an aerial duel with England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The goal was disallowed after the referee failed to notice the foul, and the player himself later described it as the "Hand of God". Just four minutes later, the Argentina captain scored his second goal from inside his own penalty area, beating five England players. It was later recognized by FIFA as the "Goal of the Century".