Pelé T-shirt breaks the collectors market and sells for almost $5 million dollars
The garment that Pelé wore when he won the first World Cup in Brazil topped an auction in New York and surpassed any other object from his career
One of the most emblematic pieces in Pelé's career changed owners. The blue jersey with the number 10 that the Brazilian star wore in the 1958 World Cup final in Sweden was sold for $4,880,000 during an auction organized by Sotheby's in New York.
The garment became the most valuable object related to Pelé's sporting career, surpassing any other belonging of the three-time world champion that has ever come on the market.
Pelé's shirt that marked an era
With that shirt, Pelé played in the 1958 World Cup final against Sweden, when he was just 17 years old.
In that match, the Brazilian striker scored two goals and was one of the great figures in the victory that gave Brazil its first World Cup, in addition to establishing himself as one of the great promises of international football.
The auction brought together iconic pieces of world football
The sale was part of The Beautiful Game auction, organized by Sotheby's, where items related to some of the greatest figures in football were also offered.
Although Pelé's shirt garnered attention, several items sold below initial expectations.
One of them was a collectible card from the Brazilian himself corresponding to 1958, which reached a price of $108,000 dollars, despite its initial estimate exceeding $150,000 dollars.
In addition, a good part of the stickers and historical items included in the auction were awarded for amounts lower than expected.
Maradona and Messi also stood out in the auction
The second most sought-after item was the captain's armband that Diego Armando Maradona used during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, a tournament in which he starred in the famous goal known as the “Hand of God.” The piece reached a price of $512,000.
For their part, several Lionel Messi shirts also aroused the interest of collectors. The most valuable was one used with Barcelona in the 2017 Champions League, which sold for $217,600.
Other LaLiga shirts of the Argentine soccer player also exceeded $100,000, confirming the attractiveness of objects related to one of the greatest figures in contemporary soccer.