Maradona's 'Hand of God' World Cup Trophy Up for Auction... Expected to Sell for Billions

Lost and Rumored Until Found by a Collector
Police Investigation Completed... Expected to Be Worth Millions of Dollars

The legendary Argentine footballer, the late Diego Maradona's missing Golden Ball trophy is set to be auctioned.

Diego Maradona (left) smiling while holding the Golden Ball.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 8th, Yonhap News quoted the British BBC, reporting that "the FIFA 1986 World Cup Golden Ball trophy will be auctioned on the 6th of next month in Paris, France." Maradona led Argentina to victory in the 1986 Mexico World Cup and was named the tournament's best player, receiving the Golden Ball award.

However, the trophy was lost afterward. This led to many rumors about its whereabouts. One prominent rumor was that the mafia stole it to melt down the gold. The trophy appeared in an auction in 2016 but was acquired by a collector without it being known as Maradona's Golden Ball trophy. The auction house reported that they had notified the police and completed all investigations, expecting the Golden Ball trophy to sell for millions of dollars.

In fact, the uniform Maradona wore in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal match against England and the ball used in the game were sold for $9 million (approximately 12.24 billion KRW) and $2 million (approximately 2.72 billion KRW), respectively. Maradona scored a header in this match, but when controversy arose over the ball allegedly touching Maradona's hand before going in, he euphemistically said, "It was a combination of my head and the hand of God," leaving an unforgettable quote in football history. Four minutes after the 'Hand of God' goal, Maradona dribbled about 70 meters from the halfway line to score a second goal, which is considered the best goal of the tournament.