The ball used to score two of the most famous goals in football history will be brought to auction by Graham Budd next month.
An estimate of £2.5 - £3million ($2.7 - $3.3m) has been placed on the iconic piece of football history.
The ball is being sold by Ali Bin Nasser, the Tunisian referee who famously allowed one of the most controversial goals in history during the Argentina v. England 1986 World Cup quarter-final.
The football was used throughout the contentious quarter final. Maradona’s second goal of the match has become known as the ‘goal of the century’, where he dribbled spectacularly past five England players and goalkeeper Peter Shilton, before scoring. England fought back with an 81st minute goal from Gary Lineker which won him the Golden Boot, but ultimately, Argentina took the match 2-1, shattering England’s World Cup dreams, before going on to win the tournament.
The football has a £2.5 to £3 million estimate and is being sold as part of our World Cup Special auction on 16th November 2022. Alongside the famous football, the World Cup auction will see several other items of sporting memorabilia up for sale, including the shirt worn by Bin Nasser during the quarter final, and a shirt signed by Maradona to his ‘eternal friend’ at a later reunion.
Ali Bin Nasser said: “This ball is part of international football history - it feels like the right time to be sharing it with the world. At Mexico ‘86 I was among the 42 referees at the tournament. African referees didn’t get the same opportunities as those in Europe, so to be told by FIFA that I was chosen because I was among the best in the world was a huge honour and a career highlight.”
The auction will be streamed online on 16th November, with prospective buyers able to register and bid online from 28th October. A live stream of the final minutes of saleroom bidding will be available via the Graham Budd website.
