The Adidas Golden Ball trophy, which honored Diego Maradona as the best player at the 1986 World Cup, is set to be auctioned in France on June 6. This is the first time that this prestigious award has ever been put up for sale. The exact value is unknown, but the Aguttes auction house anticipates that it will fetch millions of dollars.
Maradona led Argentina to victory in Mexico with his outstanding performance. During the tournament, he scored five goals and captained his country while playing every minute of each game. One of his most memorable moments was his two goals against England in the quarterfinals. His first goal was famously known as the “Hand of God,” while his second goal was a remarkable dribble past five English players from his own half, which was voted as the “Goal of the Century.” He then went on to score two more goals against Belgium in the semifinal match before leading Argentina to a thrilling victory over West Germany in the final.
The Golden Ball award has been introduced at every World Cup since 1982 and is given to honor the best player of the tournament. Past winners include Paolo Rossi of Italy, Romario and Ronaldo of Brazil, and Zinedine Zidane of France. Lionel Messi is the only player to have won it twice. Reports surfaced that Maradona’s Golden Ball had been stolen and resurfaced among various trophy lots in an auction room before being entrusted to Aguttes for verification before putting it up for sale.
Fans can now bid on this historic piece of sports memorabilia and own a piece of history when they buy it at Aguttes on June 6th!
