"Hand of God" ball from Maradona's 1986 triumph expected to fetch $10m at auction
The ball used for Maradona's "Hand of God" goal and his second strike in the 1986 quarter-final goes to auction in Texas, expected to fetch $10 million.
The ball used for both of Diego Maradona's goals in Argentina's 2-1 win over England at the 1986 World Cup quarter-final goes under the hammer at Heritage Auctions in Texas from August 21 to 23. The opening bid is $2.5 million, and the auction house expects the final price to reach eight figures, with analysts predicting it could surpass $10 million.
The ball's provenance traces to the match referee, the Tunisian Ali Bennaceur, who kept it for more than three decades. In a 2023 letter, he wrote that FIFA rules gave the ball to the principal referee and confirmed it was the only one used during the 90 minutes. Bennaceur sold it through Graham Budd Auctions in London in November 2022 for £2 million; the current owner has now consigned it to Heritage. Authenticity was verified by Sports Investors Authentification, which matched the ball's markings against photographs of the match.
On June 22, 1986, at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca before more than 114,000 spectators, Maradona opened the scoring by punching the ball into the net, an infringement the referee missed. He later described the goal as scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." Three minutes later, he scored his second, a 52-metre run in ten seconds that left several England defenders and goalkeeper Peter Shilton behind before he finished. Argentina won 2-1 and subsequently claimed the World Cup, beating West Germany 3-2 in the final. Maradona died in November 2020.
The match carried extra weight four years after the Falklands War between the two nations. The ball now enters a market where Maradona memorabilia commands record prices: the jersey he wore that day holds the record for the most expensive football shirt, selling for $9.3 million in 2022. The auction closes on August 23, with the buyer also paying a 20 per cent premium.
| Latin American press | +0.30 | aligned |
|---|---|---|
| Continental European press | +0.10 | neutral |
| Sub-Saharan African press | −0.20 | neutral |
| Arab Levant-Maghreb press | 0.00 | neutral |
The market celebrates a unique relic, setting its price as a symbol of its historical and sporting value.
It transforms a controversial sporting event into a luxury good, emphasizing the economic estimate and rarity of the object, neutralizing the controversy.
It does not mention the role of the Tunisian referee who kept the ball for decades, nor does it delve into the controversy over the sporting fraud.
Continental Europe records the event as a market curiosity, with a measured interest in the record sum.
It adopts a financial news tone, reporting the auction data (starting bid, estimate) without emotional emphasis or moral judgment.
It does not delve into the political symbolism of the 1986 Argentina-England match, nor into Maradona's figure as a national icon.
Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa observes with detachment, but does not fail to recall the illicit nature of the sporting gesture.
It uses the term 'notorious' to frame the goal, balancing the record sum with the memory of the controversy, without explicitly condemning it.
It does not mention the political context of the match (Falklands War) nor the celebration of the 'Goal of the Century' as a positive counterpoint.
The Arab world records the event with balance, recognizing the dual nature of Maradona's gesture: controversial and brilliant.
It presents the news as a matter of fact, balancing the reference to the illegal goal with the mention of the 'Goal of the Century', without taking sides.
It does not delve into the role of the Tunisian referee Ali Bennaceur, who kept the ball, nor does it discuss the geopolitical impact of the match.
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