Soccer Ball Signed by 'God's Hand' Maradona Sold for 3.1 Billion Won

Referee's 36-Year-Kept Item Auctioned in London
Maradona: "My Head and the Hand of God Worked Together"

Argentina, powered by Maradona's goal, defeated England 2-1 and lifted the championship trophy by winning against Belgium in the semifinals and former West Germany in the final. Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] Ahead of the Qatar World Cup, the soccer ball used in the match where Diego Maradona (Argentina) scored a goal with the so-called 'Hand of God' during the 1986 Mexico World Cup has gone up for auction.

The soccer ball, owned for 36 years by Ali Bin Nasser from Tunisia, who was the referee for the England vs. Argentina match at the time, was sold for 3.1 billion KRW.

According to AP and AFP news agencies on the 16th (local time), the 'Hand of God' soccer ball found a new owner at 2 million pounds (approximately 3.15 billion KRW) at an auction held at the Graham Budd Auction House in London, UK. Former referee Bin Nasser, who officiated the Argentina vs. England quarterfinal at the 1986 Mexico World Cup, explained the reason for putting the Adidas-made ball up for auction, saying, "I thought the time had come to share this ball with the world," and expressed hope that the buyer would be able to exhibit the ball for the public.

Maradona, who passed away in November 2020 at the age of 60, scored a headed goal in that match, leading Argentina to victory. After the match, controversy arose over whether the ball had touched Maradona's hand. Regarding this controversy, Maradona ambiguously described the infamous refereeing error in football history by saying, "A little bit of my head and the Hand of God were involved."

Former referee Bin Nasser said about the situation at the time, "Honestly, I couldn't see the (goal scene) clearly then," and explained, "After the match, England's manager Bobby Robson told me, 'You did well as a referee, but the linesman was irresponsible.'"

About four minutes after scoring this goal, Maradona dribbled about 70 meters from the halfway line and scored a second goal. This goal was considered the best goal of the tournament. Argentina, having defeated England 2-1, went on to win against Belgium in the semifinals and West Germany in the final, lifting the championship trophy. Since this victory, Argentina has not won the World Cup trophy again.

Meanwhile, the highest price ever recorded in sports memorabilia auctions is the 1952 Major League Baseball card of New York Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle. This card was sold in August for 12.6 million dollars (approximately 18 billion KRW at the exchange rate at the time).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.