{"id":2111401,"date":"2026-08-25T08:44:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T05:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2111401"},"modified":"2026-08-25T08:44:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T05:44:41","slug":"infamous-maradona-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-e2-9m-well-below-estimate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2111401","title":{"rendered":"Infamous Maradona \u2018Hand of God\u2019 ball sells for \u20ac2.9m &#8211; well below estimate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/76\/14\/1200x675_cmsv2_be1895f8-e823-5a38-af87-cc01d63ad1f1-9887614.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"abe-2920528-pos1-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2920528\" data-cid=\"9888725\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920528-label-pos1-c-latest-stories\" 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Robert Kocharyan speaks to journalists as he leaves a polling station during a parliamentary election in Yerevan, 20 June 2021\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Armenia<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Armenia detains former President Kocharyan on corruption charges\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920532-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-1 m-modeDesktop-1 m-modeXL-1\" data-nid=\"2920532\" data-cid=\"9888687\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920532-label-pos4-c-latest-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/86\/87\/189x106_cmsv2_4b93afe2-bfef-5fef-8e22-af491224156a-9888687.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Dolly Parton\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div 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class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2920525\" data-cid=\"9888630\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920525-label-pos3-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/86\/30\/189x106_cmsv2_ba31b6e5-0d5d-501a-8f09-41404a09a431-9888630.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"FILE: Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan speaks to journalists as he leaves a polling station during a parliamentary election in Yerevan, 20 June 2021\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Armenia<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Armenia detains former President Kocharyan on corruption charges\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920532-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2\" data-nid=\"2920532\" data-cid=\"9888687\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920532-label-pos4-c-latest-stories-sidebar\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/86\/87\/189x106_cmsv2_4b93afe2-bfef-5fef-8e22-af491224156a-9888687.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Dolly Parton\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n                    Culture news<\/p>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Country music icon Dolly Parton dies aged 80, family announces\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"helper-site-row o-article-newsy\">\n<div class=\"helper-site-container o-article-newsy__container\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__main\">\n<header class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__header\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs\">\n<div id=\"adb-article-breadcrumb\" class=\"c-article-breadcrumbs__list\">\n<p>                          Culture<\/p>\n<p>                          Culture news<\/p><\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-redesign-title\">\n                            Infamous Maradona \u2018Hand of God\u2019 ball sells for \u20ac2.9m &#8211; well below estimate<\/h1>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-video u-position-relative \">\n<div class=\"js-superdiv u-aspect-ratio-16x9 u-position-relative \" data-controller=\"video-player\" data-sponsored=\"Partner content\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-poster-img c-article-media__img\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/76\/14\/1536x864_cmsv2_be1895f8-e823-5a38-af87-cc01d63ad1f1-9887614.jpg\" width=\"1536\" height=\"864\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Maradona\u2019s infamous \u2018Hand of God\u2019 ball sold for \u20ac2.9 million\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-caption u-position-absolute\"><i id=\"article-caption-content\" class=\"c-article-caption__content\"><span class=\"c-article-caption__text\"><br \/>\n              Maradona\u2019s infamous \u2018Hand of God\u2019 ball sold for \u20ac2.9 million<br \/>\n                    <span class=\"u-color-white\">&#8211;\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__copyright\">Copyright\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c-article-caption__credit\">Credit: AP Photo\/Heritage Auctions <\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-image-copyright c-article-image-copyright--novideo\">\n      Copyright\u00a0Credit: AP Photo\/Heritage Auctions\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"h-grid o-article-newsy__main__body u-article-content\">\n<div class=\"o-article-newsy__contributors-publication-date\">\n<div class=\"c-article-contributors\">\n  By&amp;nbspTheo Farrant\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-publication-date\" data-timestamp=\"1787647481\">\n         Published on<br \/>\n            <time datetime=\"2026-08-25 10:44:41 +02:00\">25\/08\/2026 &#8211; 10:44 GMT+2<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup-overlay js-c-article-share-comment-popup-overlay u-display-none\">\n<div id=\"js-c-article-share-comment-popup\" class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup js-c-article-share-comment-popup\">\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment-popup__header u-display-flex\"><span>Share<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/icon-close.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"Close 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u-show-for-mobile-only\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" alt=\"whatsapp\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>Whatsapp<\/span><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/vector\/social-icons\/article-redesign-whatsapp.svg\" width=\"48\" height=\"48\" alt=\"whatsapp\" class=\"u-show-for-desktop\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"c-article-summary\">\n        The Adidas Azteca ball, used for both of Maradona\u2019s goals against England in the 1986 World Cup, fell well short of its \u20ac8.6 million presale estimate.<br \/>\n    <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-content c-article-content--culture js-article-content\">\n<p>The football used by Diego Maradona when he scored his infamous &#8220;Hand of God&#8221; goal against England at the 1986 <strong>World Cup<\/strong> has sold for $3.35 million (\u20ac2.9m) at auction. <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-desktop\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt loading=\"lazy\"><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Adidas Azteca ball was sold by Heritage Auctions in Texas, but despite its place in World Cup and footballing folklore, the final price fell well short of its presale estimate of $10 million (\u20ac8.6m).<\/p>\n<p>Heritage auctioneer Mike Provenzale described it to <strong>Reuters<\/strong>before the sale as a &#8220;true one-of-a-kind item&#8221; and &#8220;arguably the most significant soccer item that exists&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-widget-related\" data-stories-id data-event=\"widget_related\">\n<div class=\"c-widget-related__title\"><b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\" lang=\"en\">Related<\/b><\/div>\n<ul class=\"c-widget-related__list\">\n<li class=\"c-widget-related__item\">YouTube boxer Logan Paul sells rare Pikachu Illustrator Pok\u00e9mon card for record $16.5 million <\/li>\n<li class=\"c-widget-related__item\">Faberg\u00e9 \u2018winter egg\u2019 sets new record with \u00a322.9M sale at London auction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The most controversial goal in football history<\/h2>\n<p>Maradona, who died in 2020, scored the controversial goal during Argentina\u2019s World Cup quarter-final against England at Mexico City\u2019s Azteca Stadium. What initially appeared to be a header was revealed in slow-motion replays to show Maradona using his hand to punch the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.<\/p>\n<p>The referee, Tunisian Ali Ben Nasser (who once owned the ball in question), did not spot the handball and allowed the goal to stand. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs per FIFA&#8217;s instructions issued before the tournament, I looked to my linesman for confirmation of the validity of the goal &#8211; he made his way back to the halfway line indicating he was satisfied that the goal should stand,&#8221; Nasser has said. <\/p>\n<p>He added: &#8220;At the end of the match, the England head coach Bobby Robson said to me, \u2018You did a good job, but the linesman was irresponsible.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"1.5337423312883436\">\n<div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n<div class=\"widget__contents\">\n<figure class=\"widget__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/76\/14\/808x1243_cmsv2_795083a9-fa8c-5822-a71e-9a7df973c475-9887614.jpg\" alt=\"Diego Maradona about to score the controversial first goal against England, on 23 June 1986, in Mexico City.\"><figcaption class=\"widget__caption\"><span class=\"widget__captionWrap\"><span class=\"widget__captionText\">Diego Maradona about to score the controversial first goal against England, on 23 June 1986, in Mexico City.<\/span><span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">Credit: AP Photo <\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Maradona famously described it as being scored &#8220;a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God&#8221;. He would later admit to deliberately handling the ball, calling the goal a form of &#8220;symbolic revenge&#8221; against the UK after his home country&#8217;s defeat in the 1982 Falklands War.<\/p>\n<p>Just four minutes after the &#8220;Hand of God&#8221; goal, Maradona scored again without the needed for any divine intervention. He collected the ball in his own half and dribbled past almost the entire English team before finding the net, in a goal later voted FIFA\u2019s &#8220;Goal of the Century&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>Argentina won the match 2\u20131 en route to winning their second World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>The Adidas Azteca ball was first put up for <strong>auction in 2022<\/strong>. Bidding reached $2.37 million (\u20ac2m), but the reserve was not met. The ball was later offered at auction again in 2023 but failed to sell again. <\/p>\n<p>The latest sale is also well below the $9.3 million (\u20ac8m) paid for <strong>Maradona\u2019s shirt<\/strong> from the same match at Sotheby\u2019s in 2022. At the time, it became the highest price ever paid at an auction for a piece of sports memorabilia.<\/p>\n<p>The ball also missed out on the record for the most expensive sports ball. That currently belongs to Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani\u2019s 50th home-run ball, which sold for $4.39 million (\u20ac3.8m) in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                  Go to accessibility shortcuts<\/p>\n<div class=\"c-article-share-comment u-align-items-center u-display-flex\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__links u-align-items-center u-display-flex u-justify-content-center js-c-article-share-comment-share\"><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Share<\/span><\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label\">Comments<\/span><span class=\"c-article-share-comment__label c-article-share-comment__label--always\">Add Euronews on Google<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-you-might-also-like\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-article-you-might-also-like\">\n<h2 class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__title\">\n        Read more<br \/>\n      <\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-article-you-might-also-like__container\">\n<article 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src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-ad u-show-for-mobile-only\">\n<div class=\"c-ad__placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-ad__placeholder__logo\" src=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\" width=\"72\" height=\"72\" alt><span>ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"adb-article-top-stories\" class=\"perf-cv-auto c-top-stories\">\n<h2 class=\"c-top-stories__title\">Top stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"c-top-stories__item\">\n<article id=\"abe-2920362-pos2-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920362\" data-cid=\"9887761\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920362-label-pos2-top-stories\" 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data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920374-label-pos4-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/78\/57\/320x180_cmsv2_b6aa0bb0-c55a-5a9f-94d6-614d3d2bbb6f-9887857.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Russian stadium pulls the plug on planned Kanye West concerts\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Has there been pressure on Russian stadium to cancel planned Kanye West concerts?<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920325-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920325\" data-cid=\"9887527\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920325-label-pos5-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/75\/27\/320x180_cmsv2_ea2d4f37-b9bd-57c4-b037-0353d18a6cea-9887527.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Are we getting more Oasis shows in 2027 \u2013 and will any be in mainland Europe?\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Are we getting more Oasis shows in 2027 \u2013 and will any be in mainland Europe?<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920319-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-2 m-modeDesktop-2 m-modeXL-2 the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920319\" data-cid=\"9887497\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<figure id=\"abe-2920319-label-pos6-top-stories\" class=\"the-media-object__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"the-media-object__image\" src=\"https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/74\/97\/320x180_cmsv2_e3cfd1f1-aab6-5e7f-b7f0-2bad99a6f7d9-9887497.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Tributes pour in for Philippe Bouvard, iconic French radio presenter and cultural figure, dead at 96\" height=\"9\" width=\"16\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Death of a titan of French radio and TV: Emmanuel Macron pays tribute to Philippe Bouvard<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920023-pos1-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920023\" data-cid=\"9886041\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Netherlands withdraws from &#8216;no longer&#8217; neutral 2027 Eurovision<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2919986-pos2-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2919986\" data-cid=\"9885752\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Celebrities call for protection of child actors after Hayden Panettiere\u2019s death<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920097-pos3-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920097\" data-cid=\"9886438\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Has Meghan Markle been dropped from her acting comeback?<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2919987-pos4-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2919987\" data-cid=\"9885753\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    Erling Haaland&#8217;s new haircut goes viral and sends both fans and celebrities into a frenzy<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article id=\"abe-2920054-pos5-mostViewed\" class=\"the-media-object m-modeMobile-3 m-modeDesktop-3 m-modeXL-3 the-media-object--has-related the-media-object--no-label\" data-nid=\"2920054\" data-cid=\"9886213\" data-part-label=\"Partner content\">\n<div class=\"the-media-object__content\">\n<h3 class=\"the-media-object__title  \">\n<p>    How a creepy costume led to a TikTok trend \u2014 and real world paranoia<br \/>\n  <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"articleBody\" data-key=\"articleBody\">The football used by Diego Maradona when he scored his infamous &#8220;Hand of God&#8221; goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold for $3.35 million (\u20ac2.9m) at auction.The Adidas Azteca ball was sold by Heritage Auctions in Texas, but despite its place in World Cup and footballing folklore, the final price fell well short of its presale estimate of $10 million (\u20ac8.6m).Heritage auctioneer Mike Provenzale described it to Reuters before the sale as a &#8220;true one-of-a-kind item&#8221; and &#8220;arguably the most significant soccer item that exists&#8221;.The most controversial goal in football historyMaradona, who died in 2020, scored the controversial goal during Argentina\u2019s World Cup quarter-final against England at Mexico City\u2019s Azteca Stadium. What initially appeared to be a header was revealed in slow-motion replays to show Maradona using his hand to punch the ball over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.The referee, Tunisian Ali Ben Nasser (who once owned the ball in question), did not spot the handball and allowed the goal to stand.\u201cAs per FIFA&#8217;s instructions issued before the tournament, I looked to my linesman for confirmation of the validity of the goal &#8211; he made his way back to the halfway line indicating he was satisfied that the goal should stand,&#8221; Nasser has said.He added: &#8220;At the end of the match, the England head coach Bobby Robson said to me, \u2018You did a good job, but the linesman was irresponsible.\u2019\u201dMaradona famously described it as being scored &#8220;a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God&#8221;. He would later admit to deliberately handling the ball, calling the goal a form of &#8220;symbolic revenge&#8221; against the UK after his home country&#8217;s defeat in the 1982 Falklands War.Just four minutes after the &#8220;Hand of God&#8221; goal, Maradona scored again without the needed for any divine intervention. He collected the ball in his own half and dribbled past\u00a0almost the entire English team before finding the net, in a goal later voted FIFA\u2019s &#8220;Goal of the Century&#8221;.Argentina won the match 2\u20131 en route to winning their second World Cup.The Adidas Azteca ball was first put up for auction in 2022. Bidding reached $2.37 million (\u20ac2m), but the reserve was not met. The ball was later offered at auction again in 2023 but failed to sell again.The latest sale is also well below the $9.3 million (\u20ac8m) paid for Maradona\u2019s shirt from the same match at Sotheby\u2019s in 2022. At the time, it became the highest price ever paid at an auction for a piece of sports memorabilia.The ball also missed out on the record for the most expensive sports ball. That currently belongs to Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani\u2019s 50th home-run ball, which sold for $4.39 million (\u20ac3.8m) in 2025.<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2026\/08\/25\/infamous-maradona-hand-of-god-ball-sells-for-29m-well-below-estimate&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/09\/88\/76\/14\/1200x675_cmsv2_be1895f8-e823-5a38-af87-cc01d63ad1f1-9887614.jpg&#8221;] Europe News French man detained in Italy after three Akeron missiles found in van Europe News 306 people infected with salmonella in Belgium in egg-linked outbreak Armenia Armenia detains former President Kocharyan on corruption charges Culture news Country music icon Dolly Parton dies aged 80, family announces Europe News French man detained [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[226,36],"class_list":["post-2111401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","tag-crawlmanager","tag-euronews-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2111401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2111401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2111401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2111401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2111401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2111401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}