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Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ ball is unsold for the SECOND time, just months after his jersey from that game sold for $9.3 MILLION, with the iconic item unable to reach reserve in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The ball involved in Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal has failed to reach its reserve price for the second consecutive auction.
Bids on the priceless memorabilia piece started at $600,000 but was unable to meet the currently unspecified reservation.
It follows the ball that failed to sell with London-based auctioneers Graham Budd Auctions in November, despite a £2m bid.
Goldin were the auctioneers in the United States and could not avoid the same outcome as bidding ended at 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday night.
In one of the most iconic moments in FIFA World Cup history, Maradona handballed past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals.
The ball used in Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal in 1986 goes up for auction
Bids for the memorabilia piece started at $600,000 but couldn’t reach the unspecified reserve
The iconic adidas ball was once owned by match referee Ali Bin Nasser, who has had it since the match was played on June 22, 1986, but has since been auctioned off.
“This ball is pivotal to possibly the most iconic moment in sports history,” Goldin Co. founder Ken Goldin said recently.
‘The legacies of Maradona and the ‘Hand of God’ are forever intertwined and, generations from now, their story will continue to be told by fans around the world.
“With Lionel Messi heroically leading Argentina to their latest World Cup triumph, we anticipate a renewed interest in the legend of Maradona and the ball that changed football forever.”
The latest piece of Maradona memorabilia caused even more of a frenzy at the auction house. His shirt from that same ‘Hand of God’ match against England in 1986 sold for a staggering $9.3 million in May 2022.
At the time, it was the highest price ever paid at auction for a piece of sports memorabilia.
the iconic ball it has stamped in black “Official Ball of the World Cup 1986 Ballon Officiel Coupe du Monde 1986” on one of the pentagonal panels and “Aztec Mexico”, the stadium where the match took place, stamped on another panel.
The ball also comes with a letter from Bin Nasser, as well as a Letter of Authenticity from Resolution Photomatching, which provided a ResMatch for the ball.
Matchday referee Ali Bin Nasser (centre) has owned the ball since the match in June 1986