The goal’s place in history is inseparable from the debate over how it went in. Maradona punched the ball into the net, the referee missed the offence and the goal stood as Argentina went on to win the quarter-final.
That moment gave the ball a significance few pieces of sporting memorabilia can match. It is not simply a relic from a landmark tournament; it is a physical link to a goal that still divides opinion and to Maradona, the central figure in Argentina’s 1986 triumph.
If the auction reaches its estimate, the ball would move past the reported value of the shirt and set a new benchmark for football memorabilia. But estimates are not guarantees: the final price will depend on how strongly collectors value the story attached to the object.
The auction will offer a fresh measure of Maradona’s lasting pull, more than four decades after the match. When bidding closes, the question will be whether the Hand of God ball becomes football’s most valuable piece of match history-or whether the shirt keeps its place at the top.