Maradona ‘God’s Hand’ soccer ball sold for 3.1 billion won

During the 1986 Mexico World Cup, Argentina’s “football hero” Diego Maradona scored a goal by hitting the ball with his hands, causing controversy over “God’s Hand,” and the soccer ball was sold for billions of won at auction.

According to the AP on the 17th, the “God’s Hand” soccer ball was sold for 2 million pounds (about 3.18 billion won) at an auction held at Graham Bird Auction House in London, England. This ball is Adidas ‘Azteca’, the official ball of the World Cup at the time. So far, the world record for the highest auction of sports souvenirs is Mickey Mantle baseball card, a slugger of the New York Yankees in the U.S. Major League Baseball, issued in 1952. The winning bid in August was $12.6 million (about 18 billion won at the time).

In the quarterfinals of the Mexico World Cup against England, Maradona scored with her hands, but it was recognized as a goal as the referee did not see it. At that time, they didn’t use multiple balls, but used one ball for the entire 90-minute game. The soccer ball was auctioned off by former Tunisian referee Ali bin Nasser, who was the referee of the quarterfinals at the time, after 36 years of possession. “In fact, I couldn’t see (the goal scene) exactly at the time,” former referee bin Nasser recalled. “After the game, England coach Bobby Robson told me, ‘You (the referee) did a good job, but the good referee was irresponsible.”

Maradona dribbled about 70 meters from the half-line and scored his second goal about four minutes after the goal. The goal was considered the best goal in the tournament. With Maradona’s performance, Argentina beat England 2–1. Argentina won both the semifinals and the finals against Belgium and West Germany to lift the World Cup. The event made Maradona a national hero of Argentina. Along with Brazilian soccer emperor Pele, he became the most famous soccer player in the world. Born in Buenos Aires in 1960, Maradona showed talent for soccer from a young age. He was only 1m 65cm tall, but his main weapons were explosive speed and bull-like power emitted from his muscular body. His excellent sense of soccer also devastated the opposing defense with colorful dribbles and sensuous shots. It was literally a ‘little giant’. 파워볼게임

He made his professional debut in 1976 with Argentinos Juniors and went on a roll. Starting with Argentina’s prestigious Boca Juniors, he went through Barcelona (Spain) and Naples (Italy). Argentina’s national team career has been more spectacular. He scored 34 goals in 91 international matches (A matches). After retirement, he walked the path of leadership. At the same time, it has been constantly rumored to be drugs, alcohol, and obesity. From 2019 until his death, he was the coach of Argentina’s Himnasia Laplata. Maradona died of a heart attack (60 years old) in November 2020. He was called a “bad boy” due to various travel and privacy controversies, but his soccer skills were not controversial.