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LONDON. — The ball Diego Maradona used to score his infamous “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup could fetch £3 million when it goes under the hammer in the UK next month.
The legendary Argentine’s controversial goal — that saw him punch the ball into the net after going up for a challenge with England goalkeeper Peter Shilton — will go down in memory as one of the most iconic sporting moments after the Three Lions were beaten 2-1 and eliminated from the tournament in Mexico.
The referee from the match, Tunisian Ali Bin Nasser, is selling the ball with Graham Budd Auctions on November 16 – with bids expected to come in at around £2,5m-£3m.
It comes less than six months after Maradona’s shirt that he wore during the game was sold for £7m 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.
Explaining why he is now deciding to cash in on the match ball, Ali Bin Nasser said: ”This ball is part of international football history – it feels like the right time to be sharing it with the world.
“At Mexico ’86 I was among the 42 referees at the tournament. African referees didn’t get the same opportunities as those in Europe, so to be told by FIFA that I was chosen because I was among the best in the world was a huge honour and a career highlight.
“As for Maradona’s first goal I couldn’t see the incident clearly, the two players Shilton and Maradona were facing me from behind.
“As per FIFA’s instructions issued before the tournament I looked to my linesman for confirmation of the validity of the goal – he made his way back to the halfway line indicating he was satisfied that the goal should stand.
“At the end of the match the England head coach Bobby Robson said to me, ‘You did a good job but the linesman was irresponsible”’.
Maradona – recognised as one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game – died at the age of 60 from a heart attack in 2020.
The term “Hand of God” was coined by Maradona himself, who described the goal after the game as “a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God”.
It led to 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 were expecting the ball to be “hugely popular” at auction after being involved in “one of the most famous and emotive matches in history”.
“The timing of the match, the history between the two teams stretching back to 1951 (the first quarter final between the two teams in 1966 was also controversial for the sending off of the Argentinian captain Antonio Rattan), and the famous handball have all led to this match going down as one of the most famous and emotive matches in football history. “With the history surrounding the ball, we are expecting this lot to be hugely popular when it comes up for auction.” — Mailonline.
Online Reporter