Sotheby’s is auctioning six jerseys worn by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s winning streak at last year’s soccer World Cup in Qatar and believes they could become the most valuable collection of sports memorabilia ever sold, potentially fetching more than $10 million.
The auction house said Monday it will put up for sale in New York six of the seven jerseys the Argentine captain wore in the first half in Qatar, including the one he wore in the dramatic final victory against France. Like many footballers, he usually exchanges his shirt with someone from the opposing team at the end of each match, his being the most sought after.
By defeating France on penalties after a 3-3 draw at the Lusail Stadium, Argentina won its third World Cup. Messi scored two of the country’s goals.
Sotheby’s, founded in London in 1744, will offer Messi’s shirts between November 30 and December 14. A free exhibition at the company’s headquarters in New York will allow the public to view the shirts during the bidding dates.
The auction house is working with American tech startup AC Momento, which partners with high-profile athletes to help manage match-worn memorabilia.
The current record for game-worn sports memorabilia is Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for $10.1 million at Sotheby’s New York in September 2022.
The current record for match-worn football memorabilia is a shirt Diego Maradona wore in Argentina’s infamous 2-1 1986 quarter-final victory over England, where he scored a goal with his hand. a goal that, he said, owed a lot to the “Hand”. of God.” It sold for $9.3 million at Sotheby’s in London in May 2022.
Winning and lifting the World Cup last year meant Messi emulated Maradona’s feat in 1986, the second time Argentina won the trophy.
A part of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the UNICAS Project, led by the Sant Joan de Déu Children’s Hospital in Barcelona with the support of the Leo Messi Foundation, to cover the needs of children suffering from rare diseases.
Messi, 36, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the MLS, spent 17 years at Barcelona, winning the Spanish league numerous times and the European Champions League four times. He has won the Ballon d’Or, awarded annually to the sport’s best player, a record eight times.
But it was his late triumph in Qatar that cemented his place among the all-time greats, Pelé and Maradona.
That’s why their t-shirts are potentially so valuable.
