Ball from Diego Maradona's 1986 'Hand of God' goal against England up for auction

A piece of football history is on the auction block: the ball kicked by Diego Maradona during the infamous 1986 World Cup quarter-final match between Argentina and England, where he scored the controversial 'Hand of God' goal. American auction house Heritage Auctions has put the ball up for bidding, with an opening price of $2.5 million and estimates suggesting it could sell for over $10 million.

The auction, which runs from August 21 to August 23, features the ball that Maradona used to score both his legendary goals in that game – the infamous handball and the breathtaking solo effort later dubbed the 'Goal of the Century'. The ball is currently on display at the auction house's Beverly Hills location.

According to documentation, the ball was kept by the match referee, Tunisian Ali Bennaceur, for over three decades. FIFA regulations stipulated that the referee was entitled to the match ball. Bennaceur confirmed in a letter that this was the only ball used throughout the entire 90-minute match. It was later sold by Bennaceur in November 2022 for £2 million.

Authenticity has been verified by Sports Investors Authentification, which compared markings on the ball with historical photographs from the June 22, 1986, match. Maradona himself once recalled the 'Hand of God' goal, describing how he felt a kick from defender Steve Butcher on his ankle but was too elated by the goal to feel the pain.

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I feel a kick from Butcher that broke my ankle; but the joy of the goal was so great that it didn't hurt.