A Diego Maradona "Hand of God" football is expected to fetch between £2.5 and £3 million at auction.

Diego Maradona's ball, which he used to score two of the most illustrious goals in football history, will be auctioned off.

The match ball from the memorable 1986 World Cup quarterfinal encounter between England and Argentina is valued between £2.5 million and £3 million.

The Tunisian referee who permitted Maradona's "Hand of God" goal during the match, Ali Bin Nasser, is the one who is selling it.

It is appropriate to share this ball with the world at this time because it is a part of football history, according to Bin Nasser.

The game, which is now remembered as one of the most important and contentious matches in World Cup history, lasted the entire 90 minutes with the ball in play.

By smashing the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, Maradona scored the game's first goal.

The player afterwards referred to the goal as being "a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God" when Bin Nasser failed to notice the handball and allowed it to stand.

The second goal Maradona scored in the game, which he slid past five England outfield players to beat Shilton, has come to be renowned as the "goal of the century."

Argentina finally went on to win the game 2-1 and the World Cup in Mexico.

On November 16, the ball will be auctioned off as part of a special World Cup event. Beginning on October 28, interested purchasers can submit their bids online while it is being streamed live.

According to Graham Budd, chairman of Graham Budd Auctions, "the timing of the match, the history between the two sides, and the handball have all led to this encounter going down as one of the most renowned and passionate events in football history."

"Given the history of the ball, we anticipate this lot to be very well received when it is put up for auction."

Sports memorabilia has recently set records at auction for a number of things. A new world record was set in May when the shirt Maradona wore in the quarterfinal of 1986 was sold for $9.3 million (£7.4 million).

Three months later, a Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for $12.6 million (£10.3 million), breaking the previous record.

A new world record for any "game worn" sporting memorabilia was set in September when Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA finals jersey sold for $10.1 (£8.7m).