House, BMW Unsold in Diego Maradona Auction

An online auction of some 90 items owned by the late football icon Diego Maradona has closed with a house and BMW unsold, but most other keepsakes spoken for, its organizer said Tuesday.

The December 19 auction had been prolonged by several days after the most expensive pieces failed to attract buyers at first.

The initial, three-hour auction had brought in just $26,000 with more than $1.4 million worth of assets owned by the former Barcelona and Napoli star receiving no bids, according to AFP calculations.

By the end of the new deadline, the Buenos Aires house Maradona had gifted his parents, put up for a minimum $900,000, still did not find a buyer, nor did a luxury 2017 model BMW priced at $225,000.

Another BMW, a 2016 model, sold for $165,000.

“For the rest, we have received bids” in the second round, which will now be presented to a judge for approval, auctioneer Adrian Mercado of the Grupo Adrian Mercado Subastas house told AFP.

These included televisions, gym equipment and a treadmill.

The auction had attracted bidders from several Latin American countries, Italy, France, Britain, Russia and Dubai.

The largest single offer of $2,150 on the first auction day was for a painting of the former World Cup winner by artist Lu Sedova.

The second most expensive piece was a photograph of Maradona with late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, purchased for $1,600 by a buyer in Dubai.

Other items sold included a Napoli team jacket, training pants and a box of Cuban cigars.

Mercado said he was optimistic of selling an apartment Maradona had owned in the seaside resort of Mar del Plata ($65,000), for which he was awaiting a formal offer.

He also hoped the second BMW will receive a bid in the coming days.

This would leave only the 700 square-meter (7,500 square foot) Buenos Aires house, on a property with 500 square meters of park, where Maradona’s parents had lived for 30 years.

The sale had been ordered by a judge to pay the debts and expenses accrued by the estate of Maradona, who died of cardiac arrest on November 25, 2020, aged 60.