Diego Maradona's Heirs File Lawsuit To Stop Auction Of 'Stolen Golden Ball' The Player Received (Photo on X ESPN @espn)

Late football legend Diego Maradona”s family is planning to file a lawsuit against the auction of a trophy he was awarded after the 1986 World Cup victory by Argentina, news agency Associated Press reported, citing lawyer of Maradona”s heirs. The lawyer is set to seek the judicial sequestration of the trophy.

The Golder Ball trophy Maradona received was missing for decades after it was lost in obscure circumstances. But the trophy recently resurfaced and was set to be auctioned in Paris next month, as per an announcement by Aguttes auction house last week.

However, Maradona”s heirs are claiming that the trophy was stolen and the current owners cannot auction or sell it.  A lawyer named Gilles Moreu, representing two daughters of Maradona, said that he would file a complaint for theft and concealment, and file an urgent appeal to the president of the Nanterre judicial court near Paris to have the Golden Ball withdrawn from the auction. 

It is said that the footballer received the award in 1986 at a ceremony at the Lido Cabaret on the Champs-Élysées, and subsequently disappeared. There were several rumours about the loss of the trophy. some say that the trophy was lost during a poker game while some claims it was sold to pay off debts. Other rumours claim that the player had stored it in a safe in a Naples bank that was robbed by local gangsters in 1989. His heirs also doubted that the trophy was stolen from the bank. 

Maradona received the award in 1986 at a ceremony at the Lido cabaret on the Champs-Élysées. It subsequently disappeared, giving rise to rumours. The lawyer said that the heirs only recently knew that the trophy was stolen, and gave nod to the legal action. 

The actioner says that it expects the trophy would bring millions due to its uniqueness, the news agency reported citing Aguttes. 

Widely regarded as one of the greatest football player, Maradona died in 2020 at the age 60. He led the Argentina football team in its World Cup Victory in 1986. The famous “Hand of God” happened in its match with England in the quarterfinals.