Diego Maradona’s Golden Ball trophy reappeared at the 1986 World Cup. The award, which has been missing for decades, will be auctioned in Paris next month, the House of Acutes said on Tuesday.
Maradona, Died in 2020 At the age of 60, he was presented with the trophy for his spectacular performance as he captained Argentina to a 3-2 win over West Germany in the final in Mexico City. Before that, he scored the controversial „Hand of God” goal and the „Goal of the Century” in a 2-1 win over England in the quarter-finals.
The auction house said it expected the trophy „to fetch millions due to its uniqueness”.
In 1986, Maradona received the Man of the Match award at a ceremony held at the Lido Cabaret on the Champs-Élysées. Then it disappeared and gave way to rumours.
Some say they were lost during a wild poker game, or sold to pay off debts, Aguttes said.
Others said Maradona kept it in a safe in a Naples bank that was robbed by local thugs while playing in the Italian league in 1989. According to a story told by a reformed member of the Mafia, the trophy was later melted down into gold bars.
„A far-fetched theory is that it is made of a gold-copper alloy,” Agutes said in his auction catalog.
Agutz said the cup has reappeared elsewhere, acquired from a private collection at auction in Paris in 2016.
„It has been thoroughly investigated and recognized as Diego Maradona’s adidas Golden Ball trophy,” Agutus said.
The „Hand of God” goal came when Maradona slotted the ball into the England net for his team’s opener. Maradona was also a magician with the ball at his feet and four minutes later, he beat England’s midfield and defense and behind goalkeeper Peter Shilton to claim the biggest goal in FIFA World Cup history.
„To say this World Cup had it all would be an understatement… it was, after all, the tournament where Diego Maradona showed the world what he can do with his feet and hands,” he said. François Thierry, a sports expert at Aguttes.
Bidders will be asked to deposit 150,000 euros ($161,000) to participate in the June 6 auction.
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