Because of the theft, Maradona's heirs move to stop selling the Ballon d'Or at auction

The heirs of the late football legend Diego Armando Maradona intend to file a lawsuit to try to stop an auction for the Golden Ball that he received after Argentina won the World Cup in 1986.

This came according to statements made by the heirs’ lawyer, Tuesday, to the Associated Press.

The Ballon d'Or trophy was lost decades ago under mysterious circumstances, but it reappeared recently, as the Agot auction house announced last week that it will be sold at a public auction in Paris next month.

Maradona, who died in 2020 at the age of 60, was the captain of his country, Argentina, which won the World Cup following its 3-2 victory over West Germany in the 1986 final in Mexico City. Before that, he was the scorer of the “Hand of God” and “Goal of the Century” goals in the 2-1 win over England in the quarter-finals.

Maradona's heirs confirm that the Golden Ball was stolen, and they claim that the current owner has no right to sell it.

Gilles Moreau, a lawyer working for Paradox Lawyers, said he would submit an urgent request to the president of the judicial court in Nanterre near Paris to withdraw the Ballon d'Or from the auction.

He told the Associated Press that he would also request judicial confiscation of the ball and file a complaint on charges of theft and concealment of the prize.

But the Agot house said that the ball reappeared in 2016 among other pieces obtained from a private collection at an auction in Paris.

Maradona received the award in 1986 at a ceremony held at the Lido nightclub on the Champs-Élysées. She then disappeared, sparking a wave of rumours.

Agut also said that it was rumored that Maradona lost the ball during a poker game or that it was sold to pay off debts.

Others say that Maradona stored it in a safe in a bank in Naples, and local gangsters stole it in 1989, when he was playing in the Italian League. Maradona's heirs tend to the latter opinion and that the ball was stolen from the bank.

Bidders will be required to deposit 150,000 euros ($161,000) to participate in the June 6 auction.