Lionel Messi’s World Cup final jersey is among a collection of Argentina shirts that will be auctioned off for a world record price of more than £8 million.
Sotheby’s in New York is auctioning off six tops from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in which Argentina defeated France on penalties to win the trophy. A percentage of the revenues will go to charity.
The shirts cost at least $10 million (£8 million) and are from the first half of the final, the semi-final against Croatia, the quarter-final against the Netherlands, the round-of-16 encounter against Australia, and two of the three group-stage games. That would be a world record for a “sports memorabilia collection.”
Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 – from the iconic ‘Last Dance’ season – set the current record for a sports memorabilia item when it sold for £8.1 million in September of last year at Sotheby’s New York.
The most costly item of music memorabilia is Kurt Cobain’s guitar, which he used during an MTV Unplugged performance just five months before his death in 1993. In 2020, it was sold for £4.2 million.
Lionel Messi’s jersey from Argentina’s World Cup-winning final against France is set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York – with fans able to see the shirts before the sale
The shirt is one of six Argentina shirts included in the auction, which is set to smash records
The playmaker hoisted the trophy aloft in Qatar last year after beating France 4-2 on penalties
‘The 2022 FIFA World Cup stands as one of the biggest occasions in sports history, integrally related to Messi’s brave journey and firmly solidifying his reputation as the greatest player of all time,’ said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles.
‘The sale of these six shirts is a watershed moment in auction history, providing fans and collectors with a connection to Messi’s highest achievement. It is a privilege for Sotheby’s to showcase and exhibit these priceless collectibles to the public, which capture the utter brilliance of a player who has redefined the bounds of football perfection.’
The current record for a Messi shirt is £360,000, set during the 2017 El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, in which he scored an injury-time victory at the Bernabeu.
This collection, however, is expected to fetch more than the £7.1 million paid by an unknown bidder for Diego Maradona’s Hand of God jersey from the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, a record for a football shirt. Former England midfielder Steve Hodge sold it at Sotheby’s in London last year after asking Maradona for the jersey in the tunnel after the game in Mexico City.
Messi scored twice in the final in Qatar to win the World Cup for the sixth time. The game, a 3-3 tie, is regarded as one of the finest finals ever played.
‘The shirts are being brought to auction by US-based tech startup AC Momento, who partners with high-profile athletes (like Messi) to assist manage their match-worn memorabilia collections,’ Sotheby’s added.
A portion of the profits made during the auction will go to a charity of the midfielder’s choice
The 36-year-old scored two of Argentina’s three goals before the match went to penalties
‘A portion of the auction revenues will be donated to the UNICAS Project, which is directed by Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Barcelona Children’s Hospital and supported by the Leo Messi Foundation to satisfy the needs of children suffering from uncommon diseases. This is in addition to the work done by the Leo Messi Foundation with the SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital Pediatric Cancer Center, which serves 400 children with cancer each year.
‘The set of shirts will be on display at Sotheby’s New York in a free, public exhibition from 30 November to 14 December (during which bids will be accepted).’