Agent tried to sell it: Bundesliga icon finally gets Golden Boot back

Without him, Werder Bremen's greatest triumph in recent club history would hardly have been conceivable. In the 2003/04 season, Ailton tore through the Bundesliga, scoring 28 goals and sensationally leading the Green-Whites to a double victory of the championship and the DFB-Pokal.

As a well-deserved reward, he received, among other things, the highly coveted top scorer cannon. Yet, ironically, this symbol of his career was not in his possession for almost two decades.

Since 2006, the trophy had been missing from the life of the Brazilian fan favorite. The background was a fierce dispute with his then-agent Werner Helleckes. Helleckes had taken the cannon because Ailton allegedly owed him money.

In the following years, the prized item even appeared several times on 'eBay', with the highest bid reaching up to 600,000 euros. Ailton himself repeatedly prevented the sales, yet the cannon remained missing.

📸 Martin Rose - Bongarts

Now, 19 years later, the big turnaround finally came. On 'Instagram', the now 52-year-old suddenly appeared again with the top scorer cannon in his hands. The relief is visible on his face—and audible in his voice.

“I am very happy that it is back with me after 19 years,” Ailton told 'Bild'. “It means everything to me, and I will not give it up again.”

As the former striker explains, the trophy changed hands in the meantime. It went from Helleckes to another agent, leading to another legal dispute.

In court, he was eventually offered the chance to reclaim the cannon for a payment. “I took advantage of this opportunity,” said Ailton. “Such a trophy exists only once.” He deliberately keeps the amount he paid a secret: “How much I paid, I will keep to myself.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Andreas Rentz - Bongarts