The Golden Ball trophy won by Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona at the 1986 FIFA World Cup is set to go up for auction in France on 6th June.

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.

Maradona, who died in 2020 at age 60, was awarded the trophy for his scintillating play at the tournament, where he captained Argentina in its 3-2 win over West Germany in the final in Mexico City.

Before that, he scored the controversial “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” in a 2-1 win over England in the quarterfinals.

Maradona received the award given to the tournament’s best player at a ceremony at the Lido cabaret on the Champs-Élysées in 1986. It subsequently disappeared, giving rise to rumors.

Some rumours suggested that it was lost in a poker game or sold to settle debts, while others claimed that it was stored in a Naples bank safe that was robbed by local gangsters in 1989 when Maradona was playing in the Italian league.

Both the jersey he wore that day, along with the ball from the match, have previously been sold at auction for millions.

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