Maradona’s Golden Ball trophy from 1986 World Cup expected to fetch millions at auction
- Diego Maradona was named the best player at the finals in Mexico, where he scored five goals and played every minute
- The tournament is famous for the Argentinian’s blatant handball in the quarter-finals against England
Diego Maradona’s Golden Ball trophy won for being named the best player at the 1986 World Cup will be auctioned in France in June, the Aguttes auction house said on Tuesday.
This is the first Golden Ball to go for auction and while the value is still to be confirmed, the auction house expects it to fetch millions on June 6.
Maradona, who died in 2020, won the award after leading Argentina to World Cup victory in Mexico, scoring five goals at the finals 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’s first was a blatant handball, where he outjumped England keeper Peter Shilton to punch into the goal, something he later claimed was the “Hand of God”.
The second was an incredible mazy slalom run from his own half was voted goal of the century.
The jersey he wore that day, along with the ball from the match, have both previously been sold at auction.
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 award was introduced at the 1982 World Cup, and its list of winners include Italy’s Paolo Rossi, Romario and Ronaldo of Brazil, Zinedine Zidane of France, while Argentine great Lionel Messi is the only player to have won the accolade twice.
Maradona’s award had disappeared before resurfacing among several trophy lots in an auction room.
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.
