ROME – They call it Golden even if it’s not exactly the canonical one. But it is worth its weight in gold, for history and intrinsic value. Diego Armando Maradona’s Golden Ball, which Pibe received in 1986 as the best player of the World Cup. It was stolen, then found. It will now be sold at auction in Paris on June 6. It is worth 15 million euros. L’Equipe tells it.
Three years after winning it, on 26 October 1989, eight members of Giuseppe Misso’s clan organized a robbery in the bank where the Argentine champion’s belongings were kept, and also took away the trophy. Resigned, Maradona gave up, in the meantime there were rumors of exchanging the prize during a poker game. The turning point came on January 28, 2016: the trophy was found through the French-Algerian Abdelhamid B, a former gallery owner who loved auctions. His life could change on June 6th. Maradona’s Ballon d’Or has an estimated value of between 12 and 15 million euros.