Sotheby’s will offer Pele’s match-worn No. 10 jersey from the 1958 World Cup final at online auction between 29 June and 16 July, with the shirt expected to fetch more than $6 million.
A 17-year-old Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, wore the blue, short-sleeved shirt during Brazil’s 5-2 victory over host nation Sweden in the final at Rasunda Stadium near Stockholm. He scored twice on the night, becoming the youngest player to score in a World Cup championship match, a record he still holds.
Brahm Wachter, head of Sotheby’s modern collectibles, described the jersey as “the garment worn by one of the greatest footballers in history on the night his reign began.” Pele had already joined Santos as a teenager before the tournament, but 1958 was the moment his global impact took hold. The world had not seen him before that final. After Stockholm, it could not ignore him.
If the $6 million estimate is realised, the shirt will become the most valuable piece of football memorabilia ever sold, surpassing the $9.28 million paid for a Diego Maradona jersey in 2022, according to The Athletic. Pele remains the only player to win the World Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
The 1958 victory was also the first of Brazil’s record five World Cup titles.
Following the final, Pele gave the jersey to his roommate and teammate Dida. It remained with Dida’s family for decades before entering a Brazilian museum and was then acquired by an anonymous owner in 2004.
Pele passed away in December 2022 at the age of 82.
