Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball from 1986 World Cup game vs England could fetch £3m at auction

The ball Diego Maradona used to score his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup could fetch £3million when it goes under the hammer in the UK next month.

The legendary Argentine’s controversial goal – hitting the ball into the net after taking on England goalkeeper Peter Shilton – will go down in history as one of the most iconic sporting moments after beating the Three Lions 2-1 and eliminated from the tournament in Mexico.

The match referee, Tunisian Ali Bin Nasser, will sell the ball on November 16 with Graham Budd Auctions – with bids expected to come in at around £2.5 million to £3 million.

It comes less than six months after Maradona’s shirt he wore during the match was sold for £7million by former England midfielder Steve Hodge, who had swapped shirts with the legendary player after the final whistle. It was a world record for a piece of sports memorabilia.

Ali Bin Nasser explained why he is now deciding to cash in on the match ball: “This ball is part of international football history – it feels like the right time to share it with the world.

“In Mexico ’86 I was one of the 42 umpires at the tournament. African referees were not given the same opportunities as those in Europe, so to be told by FIFA that I had been chosen as one of the best in the world was a huge honor and a highlight of my career.

“As for Maradona’s first goal, I couldn’t see the incident clearly, the two players Shilton and Maradona were facing me from behind.

“According to FIFA’s instructions issued prior to the tournament, I looked to my linesman for confirmation of the validity of the goal – he went back to the halfway line to indicate that he was satisfied that the goal should hold.

“At the end of the game, the England head coach, Bobby Robson, said to me: ‘You did a good job, but the linesman was irresponsible’.

Maradona – recognized as one of the greatest footballers the game has ever played – died of a heart attack in 2020 at the age of 60.

The term “Hand of God” was coined by Maradona herself, who described the post-match goal as “a little bit with Maradona’s head, and a little bit with God’s hand.”

It sparked a furore from England players – with defender Terry Butcher and Peter Shilton still seething to this day and vowing never to forget the moment.

Graham Budd, chairman of Graham Budd Auctions, said his firm expected the ball to be “hugely popular” at auction after being involved in “one of the most famous and emotional competitions in history.”

The timing of the match, the history between the two teams dating back to 1951 (the first quarter-final between the two teams in 1966 was also controversial due to the eviction of Argentine captain Antonio Rattan), and the famous handball game all led to that. this match will go down in history as one of the most famous and emotional matches in football history.

“With the history of the ball, we expect this lot to become extremely popular when it comes up for auction.”

In 2015, Maradona and Bin Nasser were reunited in Tunisia when the Argentine legend visited the referee’s house and presented him with an autographed jersey.

“I told him ‘it wasn’t Argentina that won the World Cup that year, it was Maradona,'” Bin Nasser told the BBC of their meeting.

He replied, “If it weren’t for you, I couldn’t have scored the goal of the century.”

‘He gave me a signed jersey that read ‘Para Ali Mi Amigo Eternal’. (For Ali, my friend forever).