Maradona heirs say Golden Ball trophy was stolen and want to stop its auction

Diego Maradona’s heirs will file a lawsuit to try to stop the auction of a trophy he was awarded after the 1986 World Cup won by Argentina, their lawyer told The Associated Press (AP).

The Golden Ball trophy rewarding the best player of the tournament had been missing for decades after it disappeared in unclear circumstances and only recently resurfaced.

It is set to be auctioned in Paris next month, the Aguttes auction house said last week.

Maradona, who died in 2020 aged 60, captained Argentina in their 3-2 win over West Germany in the 1986 final in Mexico City.

The “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” came in a 2-1 win over England in the quarter-finals.

Maradona’s heirs say the trophy was stolen and claim the current owner cannot be entitled to sell it.

Gilles Moreu, a lawyer working with the Paradox Lawyers firm, said he will file an urgent request to the president of the Nanterre judicial court near Paris to have the Golden Ball withdrawn from the auction.

He told the AP he will also request a judicial sequestration of the trophy and file a complaint for theft and concealed theft.

Aguttes said the trophy reappeared in 2016 among other lots that were acquired from a private collection at auction in Paris.

Maradona received the award in 1986 at a ceremony at the Lido cabaret on the Champs-Elysees.

It subsequently disappeared, giving rise to rumours.

Some say it was lost during a poker game or sold to pay off debts, Aguttes said.

Others say Maradona stored it in a safe in a Naples bank that was robbed by local gangsters in 1989, when he played in the Italian league.

Maradona’s heirs believe it was stolen from the bank.

Mr Moreu, who represents two daughters of Maradona, says the heirs found out only