DIEGO MARA-DOLLAR
Match ball from Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal ‘sells’ for £2MILLION at auction by shameless ref
THE match ball Diego Maradona punched during his notorious "Hand of God" goal has sold for £2million.
Referee Ali Bin Nasser decided to sell the ball which he had kept since England’s 2-1 quarter-final defeat at the 1986 Mexico World Cup.
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Argentina legend Maradona, who aged 60 in 2020, famously said he scored with "a little with the head of Maradona, a little with the Hand of God".
He also scored his "goal of the century" winner in the match, weaving past five England players and goal keeper Peter Shilton.
Tunisian Bin Nasser, 78, has previously insisted his view of the infamous handled goal was blocked so he followed FIFA rules by checking with his linesman before allowing it.
The bumbling ref was recently criticised for making money out of his blunder by flogging the ball for a fortune.
But when approached by The Sun he said: "I’m still selling it. I don’t care what you think.”
England legend Gary Lineker was less than impressed with the move.
The former Three Lions striker, who played in the match in Mexico, said: “How the hell did the referee end up with the ball?
"I’m so thrilled he’ll cash in on his cock-up.”
Before the sale, auctioneers Graham Budd estimated the partially deflated Adidas Azteca ball - the only one used for the entire 90 minutes of the match - would fetch £2.5m to £3m.
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However, because the bid of £2m didn’t meet the reserve price, negotiations are now taking place.
A spokesman for the auctioneers said after the sale: "It was sold for £2million, but that did not meet the reserve price.
"There are now negotiations taking place between the bidder and seller to see if that sale price is acceptable."
The ball is formed of 32 pentagonal panels with a black and white design inspired by the architecture and murals of the Aztec civilisation that flourished in central Mexico through the 14th to 16th centuries.
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The auctioneers' notes stated: "After 36 years the ball is partially-deflated. Buyers should seek professional conservation advice before attempting to re-inflate the ball."
Meanwhile, the one penny coin used by the referee for the 1966 World Cup final toss was sold for £9,000 - more than four times the auctioneer's anticipated final sale price of between £1,000 and £2,000.
The coin was flipped by Swiss ref Gottfried Dienst - with Bobby Moore winning the toss - before England beat Germany 4-2 at Wembley to record the country's only World Cup win.
Dienst kept hold of the copper alloy penny until it was acquired from him by British football memorabilia collector Bryan Horsnell, who put it up for sale.
It bears Queen Elizabeth II's profile on one side and Britannia on the other.
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Meanwhile, former England goalscoring hero Sir Geoff Hurst's white 1970 World Cup shirt, when England went out to Germany in the quarter-final in Mexico, fell well short of the dizzying figures of his 1966 Wembley winning top, which in 2000 sold for £91,750.
England's less successful fortunes saw the later No. 10 Umbro, Airtex, short-sleeved jersey with the three lions badge go for £8,500 - still well over the auctioneer's pre-sale best estimate of £3,000.
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