The ball used for Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal against England at the 1986 World Cup has sold for £2.5m at auction.

The Adidas Azteca ball was used throughout Argentina’s 2-1 quarter-final victory in Mexico, including the moment Maradona punched it past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

Maradona escaped punishment after the goal was allowed to stand, later famously describing it as being scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.

The same match also produced one of the greatest goals in World Cup history, with Maradona running past five England players before rounding Shilton and finishing to put Argentina 2-0 ahead.

Despite its significance, the ball fell well short of its expected auction price.

Heritage Auctions had anticipated a sale of around $10m (£7.3m), but it eventually went for $3.3m (£2.5m) in the United States.

“It’s a true one-of-one item,” Heritage specialist Mike Provenzale told Reuters before the auction.

“Arguably the most significant soccer item that exists.”

The ball had been kept by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who was in charge of the quarter-final and took it home after the final whistle.

Bin Nasser later provided documentation confirming that it was the ball used during the match, with further independent authentication also supporting its provenance.

The referee first sold the ball in 2022 for $2.37m (£1.74m). It returned to the auction market the following year but failed to attract a bid that reached the seller’s reserve.

The latest sale still places it among the most valuable pieces of football memorabilia ever auctioned, although it remains some way behind Maradona’s shirt from the same match.

That shirt sold for £7.1m in 2022.