Diego Maradona’s heirs have launched a lawsuit to halt the auction of his Golden Ball trophy due to claims that it was stolen shortly after its presentation to the Argentina legend after the 1986 World Cup.
The lawsuit, which has been expected since the announcement of the sale by French auction house Aguttes last week, was reported Tuesday by the Associated Press.
Maradona was awarded the trophy after leading Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup, in which he famously scored his “Hand of God” goal during the quarterfinals.
Stories detailing the provenance of the trophy are conflicting, with the auction house claiming it was lost in a poker game or given up to clear his debts. Others, including his heirs, theorize it was stolen by gangsters in 1989 from a Naples bank where Maradona stored the trophy during his time playing in the Italian league.
According to the AP, Maradona’s heirs were unaware the trophy had been stolen until recently, now demanding the sale be canceled as they believe they are the rightful owners of the Golden Ball.
“If the owner of an object can claim ownership under French law, it is on the obvious condition that his or her good faith cannot be called into question,” lawyers for Maradona's heirs said in a statement to the AP. “This cannot be the case for the owner of a trophy that was famously stolen from Diego Maradona and whose heirs can legally claim ownership.”
The auction house says the trophy first surfaced in 2016, when it was sold for an undisclosed sum into the private collection of the current consignor. In its release last week, Aguttes predicted the trophy would fetch millions of dollars when it hits the auction block June 6.
In May 2022, the jersey worn by Maradona during the “Hand of God” match sold for more than $9 million at Sotheby’s.
The ball from the game went unsold in an auction in November 2022 at Graham Budd.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.