The auction

A blue Brazil shirt worn by Pele in the 1958 World Cup final has been sold for $4.9 million (roughly 4.3 million euros) at a Sotheby's auction in New York. An anonymous buyer outbid four other interested parties to secure the garment after ten offers were lodged, Sotheby's said on Thursday. The auction house initially estimated the shirt could reach or exceed six million dollars, a target that proved too optimistic. The sale was part of "The Beautiful Game" auction, which included dozens of collectible football cards, many selling below estimated prices.

“The shirt worn by Brazil great Pele when he scored twice in the 1958 World Cup final has sold for $4.9 million at auction, becoming the most valuable piece of memorabilia linked to the football legend.”

The 1958 final

On 29 June 1958 at the Rasunda stadium in Solna, Sweden, a 17-year-old Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known worldwide as Pele, announced himself to the world. Brazil defeated the host nation 5-2 to claim its first of five World Cup titles. The teenager scored twice in the final, completing a tournament in which he netted six goals in four matches: the decisive goal against Wales in the quarter-finals, a historic hat-trick against France in the semi-finals, and a brace in the final itself. Pele became the youngest player to both appear in and score during a World Cup final, a record that still stands.

Where the sale ranks historically

The Pele jersey is now the most valuable item ever sold related to his career, but it ranks as the second most expensive football shirt in history. The record remains with the jersey Diego Maradona wore during Argentina's 2-1 quarter-final victory against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. That shirt, linked to Maradona's "Hand of God" goal and the so-called "Goal of the Century," sold for $9.3 million in 2022.

Babe Ruth (1932 Yankees)24,100,000

Maradona (1986 Argentina)9,300,000

Pele (1958 Brazil)4,900,000

Babe Ruth (1932 Yankees)

24100000 USD

Maradona (1986 Argentina)

9300000 USD

Pele (1958 Brazil)

4900000 USD

Data from the article text

The broader sports memorabilia market has seen even higher prices. A Babe Ruth New York Yankees jersey from the 1932 World Series sold for a record $24.1 million at Heritage Auctions in 2024, the most expensive sports collectible worldwide. Other notable football sales include the ball Maradona struck with his hand in 1986, auctioned for two million pounds in 2022 and reportedly set for resale at a higher price, and a napkin on which a 13-year-old Lionel Messi declared his intention to play for Barcelona, sold for nearly 900,000 euros in 2024.

Other items in the auction

The second most expensive item in "The Beautiful Game" auction was Maradona's captain's armband from the 1986 World Cup, which fetched $512,000. Several Messi Barcelona jerseys also attracted strong bids: a 2017 Champions League shirt reached $217,600, while La Liga jerseys exceeded $100,000. A 1958 Pele collectible card sold for $108,000, below its estimate of at least $150,000. Most historical cards in the auction sold for under one thousand dollars.

“The greatest footballer of all time. Born in Tres Coracoes, Pele had three hearts: for football, for his family, for all people. One who played with the stars and always stayed grounded.”

Pele died in December 2022 at the age of 82. The 1958 final carried symbolic weight for Brazil, coming eight years after the traumatic "Maracanazo" defeat to Uruguay, a loss that scarred a generation. The shirt now sits in an anonymous collection, the second most expensive football jersey ever sold.