The ball that Maradona used to score the greatest goal in World Cup history was sold for a million-dollar figure

The Adidas Azteca ball used by Diego Armando Maradona for his two goals against England in the 1986 Mexico World Cup was sold for 3.35 million dollars at an auction organized by Heritage Auctions in Dallas

The amount made the ball one of the most valuable sports items in history, although it fell short of initial expectations. The prior estimate had reached 10 million dollars, while the opening bid was set at 2.5 million

Additionally, the final amount was considerably below the price reached by another relic from that match: the jersey Maradona wore against England was auctioned in 2022 for approximately 9.3 million dollars

The ball Maradona used against England

The historical significance of the ball is directly related to one of Maradona's most remembered performances with the Argentine National Team

The match ended 2-1 in favor of Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup. Six minutes into the second half, Maradona opened the scoring with the famous play known as the "Hand of God"