A weathered, scuffed, and long-deflated relic from one of the most dramatic afternoons in World Cup history has fetched £2.5 million at Heritage Auctions in the United States. The synthetic Adidas Azteca, bearing visible marks from a searing afternoon in Mexico City almost four decades ago, stands among the most celebrated artefacts in modern sport: the exact match ball that Diego Armando Maradona used to score both football’s most controversial goal and its most dazzling solo masterpiece.
The World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England on 22 June 1986 carried significance far beyond the pitch. Staged at the Estadio Azteca in front of 114,000 spectators, the contest unfolded against the tense backdrop of the 1982 Falklands War. For Argentina, it was a moment of national pride; for Maradona, it became the defining ninety minutes of an extraordinary career.
Six minutes into the second half, the Argentine playmaker leapt towards a sliced clearance inside the England penalty box alongside goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Concealing his movement from Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, Maradona used his raised left fist to punch the ball over Shilton into the net. Despite vehement protests from the England squad, the referee awarded the goal. In his post-match remarks, Maradona coined an enduring piece of sporting lore, claiming the strike was achieved “a little with the head of Maradona, and a little with the hand of God.”
Four minutes later, with the very same football at his feet, Maradona delivered a passage of peerless individual brilliance. Gathering the ball inside his own half, he spun past Peter Beardsley and Peter Reid, drove past Terry Butcher and Terry Fenwick, and rounded Shilton before tucking the ball into the corner. FIFA would subsequently crown this mesmerising 60-yard charge the ‘Goal of the Century’. A late reply from tournament top scorer Gary Lineker proved insufficient, sealing a 2-1 win for Argentina, who later lifted the trophy after overcoming West Germany in the final.
Following the final whistle, Bin Nasser kept the ball as a personal souvenir, storing it safely in Tunisia for over thirty years. Unlike contemporary fixtures that employ multiple balls around the perimeter, international matches in 1986 relied on a single ball. Bin Nasser later provided formal certification confirming that this individual ball remained in play from kick-off to full-time.
Bin Nasser originally consigned the ball for auction in London in late 2022, where it fetched £1.74 million. A private resale effort the following year stalled after failing to attract bids above the reserve. Although the latest £2.5 million realisation did not reach the loftiest pre-sale projections of £5 million, it firmly demonstrates the strong market demand for rare sports memorabilia. The sale follows the 2022 auction of Maradona’s match-worn Argentina shirt, which commanded £7.1 million at Sotheby’s.
