Cuban cigars, luxury cars and properties belonging to the late Diego Maradona will go under the hammer on Sunday.
A total of 84 lots are up for grabs as part of an international auction taking place in Buenos Aires. The sale was mandated by Argentine authorities in agreement with the heirs to the 1986 football world champion's estate.
A photo of the football star with late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, sports gear, six televisions, furniture, gym equipment, paintings and photos are among items being auctioned by order of Judge Luciana Tedesco.
"The children made a great selection of his things," says Adrian Mercado, the sale's organiser. "The most emotional, items with great memories, of great passion, will be kept by the family.”
The 10 Auction, a reference to Maradona’s Argentina jersey number, is being held by his family to raise funds while legal questions over the distribution of the player's assets are resolved. Proceeds will go to pay the estate's debts and expenses, but not to Maradona's heirs. The courts will decide how to dispose of any unsold items.
Lots range in value from $50 to $900,000 – from hats and T-shirts to a property on Cantilo street in Buenos Aires' Villa Devoto neighbourhood that Maradona gave to his parents in the 1980s.
“Diego moved to this house with his parents, to whom he gave the property as a gift, and where Dona Tota and Don Diego lived until the last days of their lives,” reads the description of the lot.
“The purchase was made by himself, who decided that Villa Devoto would be his place in the world. When Diego made the decision to move to the neighbourhood, he was a Xeneize player. That place was recorded as 'the house of 10', where Dona Tota and Don Diego spent their days walking around the area and making friends in nearby bars and businesses.”
Also on offer are two BMW cars, with respective minimum bids of $225,000 and $165,000, a Hyundai van with a $38,000 minimum bid, and a two-bedroom apartment in the Argentinian resort town of Mar del Plata, with a base price of $65,000.
UAE fans may be interested in a treadmill that Maradona used when he lived in Dubai, which has a minimum bidding price of $3,500.
