Diego Maradona Daughters Challenge Golden Ball Auction Claiming Theft, Lodge Legal Complaint

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The family of late football legend Diego Maradona is in a legal battle to halt the sale of his Golden Ball trophy, awarded after Argentina's triumphant 1986 World Cup victory.

This coveted trophy had vanished for many years before it unexpectedly surfaced, set to be auctioned in Paris by Aguttes auction house. The Maradona heirs assert that the trophy was illicitly taken, challenging the current owner's right to sell it.

Gilles Moreu, representing two of Maradona's daughters, is taking decisive steps by filing an urgent plea with the Nanterre judicial court. The goal is to remove the Golden Ball from the auction and secure a judicial hold on the trophy.

The auction house revealed the trophy reemerged in 2016 within a private collection purchased at an auction in Paris. The origin of the trophy awarded to Maradona in a 1986 ceremony at Paris's Lido cabaret, has fuelled the theft theory.

Some speculate it was lost in a poker game or sold to settle debts, while others believe it was stolen from a bank in Naples, where Maradona once stored it.

Discovering that the trophy had been stolen, Maradona's family demands its removal from sale, claiming rightful ownership.

Aguttes defends the sale, stating the buyer had no knowledge of the trophy's stolen status. According to the Paradox Lawyers firm for Maradona's heirs, under French law, the current owner's claim to the trophy lacks legitimacy due to the circumstances of its acquisition.

Hence it is to be seen if the auction process takes place or not, given the current demand from Maradona's family. The legendary Argentine won the Golden Ball after his heroics in the Mexico World Cup some 38 years ago.

He won 1282 points in the World Cup to claim the Golden Ball, while his immediate rival, Germany's Toni Schumacher only managed 344 points. He scored 5 goals in that World Cup and won Los Albicelestes their 2nd World Cup.