Hand of God Ball Sells for £2.5m: Maradona's Most Notorious Moment Finds a New Owner

The most infamous football ever stitched has a new owner — and it cost them £2.5 million. The ball Diego Maradona punched past Peter Shilton during Argentina's 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England went under the hammer this week, closing one of the most remarkable chapters in sporting memorabilia history. According to BBC Sport, the sale concludes a 39-year guardianship that began the moment Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser failed to spot the most famous handball of all time. The drama unfolded on 22 June 1986 at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. With the score goalless, Maradona leapt to meet a looping clearance and, using the heel of his left hand, nudged the ball over the advancing Shilton. The officials saw nothing wrong, and Argentina had the lead. England's players were furious; Argentine fans were jubilant. Four minutes later, Maradona delivered his masterpiece — a mazy 60-metre solo run that left a trail of English defenders in his wake before he rounded Shilton to seal a 2-1 victory many still regard as the greatest individual performance the World Cup has ever witnessed. Bin Nasser, who kept the ball after the final whistle, preserved it for nearly four decades, its leather still bearing the Azteca's markings and the story of that surreal afternoon. That it should now command £2.5 million says everything about Maradona's mythic status, more than five years after his death in November 2020 at the age of 60. The price also lands the ball in rarefied company. Maradona's shirt from that same afternoon fetched £7.1 million in 2022, ranking among the most expensive pieces of football memorabilia ever sold. Collectors, it seems, cannot get enough of that astonishing day in Mexico City. The timing adds a layer of poignancy. When the 2026 World Cup kicks off across North America next summer, the Azteca will become the first stadium ever to stage matches at three different World Cups. Fans making the pilgrimage to Mexico City will walk into a cathedral of the game where Maradona's genius — and his audacity — changed football forever. Love it or loathe it, the 'Hand of God' endures. Nearly four decades on, one flick of a fist still commands headlines, fierce debate, and now a small fortune. Based on reporting by BBC Sport.