'Hand of God' Ball Fetches Millions

One of soccer's most argued-over objects just changed hands for far less than expected. The ball Argentina legend Diego Maradona used to score his infamous "Hand of God" goal—and his dazzling "Goal of the Century" later in the same 1986 World Cup match against England—sold Saturday for about $3.3 million at Heritage Auctions, per the BBC. Experts had predicted bids closer to $10 million for what one Heritage auctioneer called "arguably the most significant soccer item that exists."

Maradona famously netted the ball with his hand, an illegal move that went unnoticed by the referees, before securing a 2-1 victory in the quarter-final match of the tournament Argentina would ultimately win, per Sky News. The match ball, an Adidas Azteca, was taken home by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser and kept for decades until he sold it in 2022 for $2.37 million. Its new owner tried to sell it the following year but bids fell short of the reserve. Maradona's shirt from the same game remains the bigger-ticket item, fetching $9.3 million in 2022.