Diego Maradona’s Ballon d’Or, missing in 1989, will be auctioned in Paris

The 1986 World Cup is remembered by all football fans as the consecration of Diego Armando Maradona as one of the best players in history. The Argentine left several memories such as the unforgettable “hand of God” against England or what is considered one of the best goals in history.

Millionaire sum

For his exceptional performance, the ’10’ of the Argentine National Team who would end up being world champion in that competition, was recognized as the best player with a golden ball. However, three years later, the trophy was stolen by the ‘Camorra’ gang of the Italian mafia.

The trophy was found again in 2016 and after several years of verification of its authenticity, it will be auctioned this June 2 at the auction house Aguttes, in Paris. The auction hopes to raise between 12 and 15 million euros, according to reports. This Golden Ball It raises its price because it belonged to Maradona and because of the unusual history that surrounds it.

The theft and disappearance of the trophy

At the time when Maradona was consecrated as one of the best in history, there were no world trophies to ratify him like the current one. ‘The Best’ that delivers the FIFA. The Ballon d’Or awarded by the specialized magazine France Football existed but it was only awarded to European footballers, so ‘The Diego’ he could never get one.

However, the great talent shown by the footballer in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico made him a creditor of the only ‘Golden Ball’ that he would have in his career: the best player in the World Cup. The trophy, which consists of a golden replica of the ‘Aztec’the ball used in that World Cup, ratified the ‘albiceleste’ celebration in the second World Cup achieved in its history.

Maradona, Giving the importance that that trophy deserved for his football career, he chose the Bank of the Province of Naples to keep the trophy along with several jewels prized by the Argentine.

3 years after receiving it, on October 26, 1989, several men robbed the bank and took the safe with his belongings. Some versions say that Maradona spoke to the mafia to get his belongings returned, but the only thing he was able to recover were some watches and other things. The only Ballon d’Or of one of the best footballers in history had been missing.

For many years speculation was in the air about what the Italian mafia had done with the trophy, it was told by Naples that the object had been lost in a poker game. Even in a drug trafficking trial, Salvatore Lo Russo, a Neapolitan mafia boss, said that the trophy had been melted down to make ingots that would later be sold.

The comeback

In 2016, the gallerist Abdelhamid B, bought a box with many trophies including plastic and replicas. At an auction in Drouot-Montmartrethe house where the unsold goods end up in the Drouot palace, the Franco-Algerian acquired the objects.

It was not until several years later that the gallery owner realized that it was the precious object. At first, he thought it was a trophy for handball players, but after several expert reports it was determined that, in fact, It was Maradona’s Ballon d’Or in 86′.

Far from having to return it to the Maradona family, the gallery owner was recognized by French law as the legitimate owner of the trophy Well, he bought it in good faith, without knowing the origin or the history. Now, the collector could make a lot of money thanks to this coincidence.