The ball with which Diego Maradona scored his legendary goal at the 1986 World Cup using “the hand of God” will be auctioned in November in London, auction house Graham Budd Auctions announced on Thursday (October 14th).
Auctions will start on November 16, for which potential buyers can register online from October 28, the firm said, adding that it expected a sale of between £2.5m and £3m. (between 2.8 and 3.4 million euros). “With the history surrounding the ball, we expect this lot to be hugely popular by the time it comes up for auction.“, Graham Budd, head of the auction house, said in a statement.
This ball was used on June 22, 1986 in the memorable quarter-final between Argentina and England (2-1) at the World Cup in Mexico, a match played four years after the Falklands war between the two countries . But it was Maradona’s incredible double, in the 51st and 55th minutes, that tipped the match into football history and collective memory. The Argentine captain had scored his first goal with his left fist and thus deceived goalkeeper Peter Shilton. He will later admit to having scored “a little with the head and a little with the hand of God”.
“This ball is part of the history of international football. It’s probably the right time to share it with the world“, said its owner, who is none other than the referee of this famous match, the Tunisian Ali Bennaceur, according to the auction house.
In May, the jersey Maradona wore during that game sold at auction for $9.3 million, more than double the price Sotheby’s predicted. That record was then broken by the September sale of basketball legend Michael Jordan’s jersey for $10.1 million.