The "Hand of God" ball is up for auction

“This ball was a witness to the most famous controversy and the most celebrated stroke of genius in soccer history,” writes the Dallas-based U.S. auction house Heritage Auctions, which expects bids of up to $10 million or more. It was with this ball that Argentine Diego Armando Maradona made soccer history in 1986.

The auction will take place after another World Cup showdown between England and Argentina. The bidding process is set to begin on July 31, with the auction taking place from August 21 to 23. The starting bid is 2.5 million U.S. dollars.

The referee had the ball for many years

The ball from that match—which was also politically charged at the time due to the Falklands War between Argentina and England four years earlier—had been in the possession of Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser for several decades. He had officiated the game at the Aztec Stadium and taken the ball for himself.

The referee is also said to have confirmed that no other ball was used during the match. Independent experts are also said to have confirmed that this is the ball with which Maradona scored first the “Hand of God” goal and then his “goal of the century”—an incredible solo run from his own half—during that 2-1 match.

In 2022, the ball was sold at an auction in London for the equivalent of 2.3 million euros.