Legendary Argentina forward Diego Maradona scored his infamous 'Hand of God' goal in the 1986 FIFA World Cup against England in the quarterfinals. The Tunisian referee, Ali Bin Nasser, who allowed the controversial goal in Argentina’s 2-1 victory, has possessed the Adidas Azteca ball.
After seeing a Maradona jersey being sold for £7m earlier this year, the 79-year-old Tunisian has decided to put up the sporting memorabilia for auction, which is expected to garner up to $3.3 million.
During the 1986 world cup, Maradona jumped to head the ball but instead punched it past the English goalkeeper, Peter Shilton. England players protested to Bin Nasser for a possible foul, but the goal stood.
Graham Budd Auctions CEO Adam Gascoigne believes the ball will fetch good money as Maradona scored the Goal of the Century with the same ball. "Unlike today where you have a multi-ball system in place at games, this was the only ball used in the match from start to finish so there is no doubt this was the ball used by Maradona to score his Hand of God goal,” said Gascoigne.
Significantly, a Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals fetched $10.1 million last month. A Netflix documentary "The Last Dance" has also been released in 2020 following the Bulls' sixth title in eight seasons during the 1997-98 NBA season.
