Pele’s historic shirt sold at auction for $4.9 million

Sotheby’s auction house announced the sale of the shirt worn by Brazilian legend Pele when he scored two goals in the 1958 FIFA World Cup final for $4.9 million at a public auction, making it the most valuable piece of memorabilia associated with the football legend.
The auction house stated that the shirt bearing the number 10, which Pele wore when he was only 17 years old to lead Brazil to beat the host Sweden 5-2 in Stockholm and win its first World Cup title, attracted 10 offers from more than five bidders.
This deal made the shirt the second most expensive football shirt ever sold at auction, behind the shirt that Diego Maradona wore when he scored his famous goal with his hand for Argentina against England in the 1986 World Cup, which was sold for $9.3 million in 2022.
Pele, who died in 2022 at the age of 82, scored two goals in the 1958 final, and still holds the record for the youngest player to score a goal in a World Cup final.
The shirt had previously been sold at a public auction in 2004 for 70,505 British pounds (equivalent to 105,600 dollars), according to Sotheby’s.