Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” ball pulled in $3.35 million at Heritage Auctions Saturday night, a figure that landed well short of the $10 million estimate. Yeah, you heard that right, a piece of soccer history that defined a World Cup moment, estimated for a cool ten mil, couldn’t even break four. Bidding kicked off Saturday at $2.5 million, but clearly, the hype didn’t translate into record-breaking cash.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Ohtani Still King of the Ballers
Seriously, this ball had a massive target on its back. Heritage was hoping it would even come close to the price tag of Maradona’s shirt from that very same game, which netted just under $9.3 million back in 2022. Not even close! And get this, it isn’t even the most expensive sports ball ever purchased. Nope. That honor still belongs to Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from 2024, which sold for a staggering $4.392 million. Think about that: a home run ball from a few years ago is worth more than one of the most controversial pieces of soccer history. Wild.
The Infamy Wasn’t Enough
So, why the big miss? This ball is legendary for all the right and wrong reasons. Back in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, Maradona scored two goals against England. The first was off a handball, completely missed by the referee. No VAR back then, obviously. Maradona himself, the legend, even admitted later on that that first goal, the one off his hand, shouldn’t have counted. Seriously, he owned it! But then, just four minutes later, he scored the game-winner, a perfectly legitimate goal. He then led Argentina to the World Cup title that year. That’s the ‘Hand of God’ for ya. This ball has been around, too. It first sold for $2.37 million in 2022, then got relisted a year later, but the $2.04 million bid wasn’t enough to hit the reserve price. This summer, it got relisted during the buzz of the 2026 World Cup. Maybe the timing messed it up, with the auction ending a month after the tournament. Plus, Argentina didn’t even win the 2026 cup! If they’d beaten Spain in the final, the ball probably wouldn’t have hit $10 million, but it definitely would’ve had a better shot at dethroning Ohtani.
What’s next for the sports memorabilia market? With these numbers, it makes you wonder what piece of history could possibly come along to challenge Ohtani’s record, or if Maradona’s iconic ball will ever truly get the valuation collectors once dreamt of.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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