Maradona's 'Hand of God' World Cup Ball Sold for $2.4 Million

On Wednesday, the London-based Graham Budd Auctions sold for USD2.37 million the ball with which Diego Maradona scored the "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup..

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This happened in the quarter-finals match between Argentina and England that took place at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

In that match, the Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser could not perceive what actually happened and endorsed a goal that was made with the most famous infraction in the history of soccer. The ball auctioned in London had been in his possession for 36 years.

"I could not clearly see the incident. The two players, Shilton and Maradona, had their backs to me. In accordance with FIFA instructions issued before the Cup, I asked my linesman to confirm the goal's validity," said Nasser, who was convinced that the goal was valid.

The tweet reads, "Maradona's 'Hand of God' balloon up for auction: worth between 2.5 and 3 million pounds."

Maradona's goal that gave Argentina a 1-0 lead against England —which should have been disallowed— has become a soccer legend.

Although the Argentine player jumped to head the ball, when Maradona was in the air he punched the ball, setting it on a trajectory that could not be reached by the English goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

Later, when asked by journalists about what had happened, Maradona joked that the goal was scored "a little bit with Maradona's head and a little bit with God's hand."