The Adidas Azteca ball is formed of 32 pentagonal panels with a sinuous black and white design inspired by the architecture and murals of the Aztec civilisation that flourished in Central Mexico from the 14th to the 16th centuries.

The ball had been offered with a signed letter of provenance from the Brazilian FIFA match referee Romualdo Arppi Filho, who had autographed it alongside his assistants Erik Fredriksson and Bernylloa Morea.

Graham Budd Auctions had estimated that it would fetch between £30,000 ($37,500/€34,000) and £50,000 ($62.500/€57,000).

Argentina's 3-2 victory at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City before 114,600 spectators crowned a remarkable World Cup for its captain Diego Maradona.

His performances during the tournament marked him out as the greatest player of his generation, with some believing that he rivals Pelé as the best in history.

Maradona's most remarkable display came in the quarter-final against England when he scored both goals in Argentina's 2-1 win.

His first goal was the most controversial in World Cup history when he flicked the ball with his hand past goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the World Cup quarter-finals in Mexico City.

The second was christened "goal of the century" following a mazy run during which Maradona beat five England players before slotting the ball past Shilton.

The ball in that match has twice been auctioned but failed on each occasion to meet the reserve price set by the seller, Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser.

In November 2022, the ball failed to sell with London-based Graham Budd Auctions, despite a £2 million ($2.5 million/€2.3 million) bid.

Then, in February, bidding reached $1.7 million (£1.3 million/€1.5 million) with American auctioneers Goldin and was withdrawn.

The shirt that Maradona wore in that same "Hand of God" game fetched a staggering $9.3 million (£7.4 million/€8.5 million) in May 2022.

At the time the sale was made it was the highest price ever paid at auction for a piece of sports memorabilia.