The jersey Pelé wore during Brazil’s victorious 1958 FIFA World Cup final has sold for an astonishing $4.9 million (£3.6 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, making it the second most expensive football shirt ever sold.
Only Diego Maradona’s iconic Argentina jersey from the 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England — worn during both the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal and the ‘Goal of the Century’ — has fetched more, selling for £7.1 million in 2022.
The historic shirt attracted 10 bids from more than five bidders, eclipsing its previous auction price of just $105,600 in 2004. It remains the most valuable piece of Pelé memorabilia ever sold.
The jersey is forever linked to one of football’s defining moments.
Aged just 17, Pelé scored twice against hosts Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final, becoming the youngest player ever to score in a World Cup final and launching a legendary career that would see him win a record three World Cups.
Other highlights from Sotheby’s The Beautiful Game auction included Maradona’s 1986 captain’s armband, sold for $512,000
Lionel Messi’s Barcelona shirt from the famous 6-1 comeback against Paris Saint-Germain for $217,600
David Beckham’s England jersey from his 50th international appearance for $51,200.
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