The iconic football used by Diego Maradona to score his controversial 'Hand of God' goal during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England has sold at auction for £2.5 million, below earlier expectations.

The Adidas Azteca ball used in one of football's most infamous moments sold at Heritage Auctions in the United States on Saturday for $3.3 million, equivalent to £2.5 million. The sale concluded a lengthy journey for the historic artifact, which had changed hands multiple times over recent years.

During Argentina's 2-1 quarter-final victory over England in 1986, Maradona punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton to open the scoring. When questioned after the match, Maradona famously remarked that the goal had been scored "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God." In the same game, he went on to score what many consider the greatest goal in World Cup history, dribbling past five English outfield players before beating Shilton.

The ball's authenticity has been verified through multiple channels. Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who officiated the match, collected the ball at full-time and retained it for over thirty years before selling it in 2022 for $2.37 million. He later signed a letter confirming it was the sole ball used during the encounter. Independent authentication has also validated its origin.

The sale price fell significantly short of pre-auction estimates suggesting the ball could fetch approximately $10 million. Heritage Auctions specialist Mike Provenzale had previously described it as "arguably the most significant soccer item that exists." The ball had previously been listed for auction in 2023 but failed to sell when bidding did not reach the reserve price. By comparison, the shirt Maradona wore during the same match sold for £7.1 million in 2022.