The mythical balloon touched by the “hand of God” sold at auction

It is a mythical object for football fans. The ball with which Diego Maradona scored his famous goal at the 1986 World Cup using “the hand of God” will be auctioned in London on November 16.

Potential buyers can register online from October 28, auction house Graham Budd Auctions said on Thursday, which expects a sale of between 2.5 and 3 million pounds Sterling (between 2.8 and €3.4 million).

A magic double

The ball was used on June 22, 1986 in the memorable quarter-final between Argentina and England (2-1) at the World Cup in Mexico. Maradona had scored an incredible double in the 51st and 55th minutes during this meeting that entered the history of football and the 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”.

For his second achievement, Maradona started from his camp, dropped five opponents and finished from a tight angle, to score what was consecrated “goal of the century” by a Fifa poll in 2002. Argentina then won the tournament under the impulse of his genius.

His jersey sold for $9.3 million

“This ball is part of the history of international football. This is undoubtedly 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. “I didn’t see the hand, but I had a doubt,” he said a few days after Maradona’s death in November 2020.

In May, the jersey worn by the playmaker during this match was sold at auction for 9.3 million dollars (9.54 million euros), more than double the price expected by Sotheby’s. This record was then broken by the sale in September of a jersey of basketball legend Michael Jordan, for 10.1 million dollars (10.36 million euros)