Diego Maradona’s Golden Ball trophy won for being named the best player at the 1986 World Cup is anticipated to sell for millions of dollars at auction next month in France, according to CNN.
This is the first Golden Ball to go for auction and had gone missing in contested circumstances for decades.
Maradona, who died in 2020, won the award after leading Argentina to World Cup victory in Mexico, scoring five goals where he captained his country and played every minute of the tournament.
That tournament is probably best remembered for Maradona’s two goals against England in the quarter-finals.
Maradona outjumped England keeper Peter Shilton as he thumped in the first goal with a raised fist, which he later dubbed as being scored by the “Hand of God”.
The second was an incredible mazy slalom run from his own half, when he dribbled past five English outfield players, and was voted as the “Goal of the Century”.
The two goals were less than five minutes apart and perfectly encapsulate the sublime skill and tortured genius of the Argentine star, who passed away in 2020.
Read also: Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ jersey auctioned for $9.3m
In 2022, his Argentina jersey from the 1986 tournament sold for close to $9.3 million, breaking the record for an item of sports memorabilia, while the “Hand of God” ball from the quarterfinal against England sold for $2.4 million later that year.
“We expect millions [again], but we don’t know exactly because there is no trophy like that in the world … from the pinnacle of [Maradona’s] career,” said François Thierry, a sports expert for Aguttes Auction House.
“It’s the unique opportunity of a lifetime for the potential buyer.”
After his display against England, Maradona went on to score the two goals which defeated Belgium in the semi-final and Argentina won a thrilling final 3-2 against West Germany.
The Golden Ball trophy awarded to Maradona in Paris after the tournament disappeared before resurfacing among several trophy lots in an auction room.
According to one tale, it was stolen by the mafia while Maradona was playing for Italian side Napoli and subsequently melted into gold ingots; other theories suggested that it was lost during a poker game or to pay off Maradona’s well-documented debts.
Recently it was entrusted to Aguttes, which carried out an investigation into its provenance and managed to authenticate it as Maradona’s Adidas Golden Ball trophy.
Read: ‘Hand of God’ ball to be auctioned
“We did a lot of research about it,” said Thierry. “We lost track of it in 1986, there’s been 38 years now. There are a lot of stories and legends, some inconsistent like [being used] to make gold with the mafia.
“We have also two biographies of Maradona where it doesn’t speak about [the trophy being] stolen. We did necessary checks with database Art Loss and Interpol. We called the police but without result, so we think we did everything we have to do.”
Aguttes’ catalogue calls the mafia theory “far-fetched” given that the trophy is made from a gold-copper alloy.
The item was bought at an auction along with several other trophies, though the anonymous buyer didn’t realise at the time that it was Maradona’s Golden Ball, Thierry explained.
Aguttes has undertaken a range of checks – examining the manufacturing information, the dating, the irregularities, the patina and the oxidation – to verify the trophy’s authenticity.
“When we saw it was okay, it was an amazing discovery,” said Thierry.
Maradona’s death from a heart attack at the age of 60 was mourned by millions in Argentina and around the world as the loss of one of the game’s greatest-ever players.
(With additional input from Reuters)
