Pele’s shirt from Brazil’s 1958 World Cup final triumph has sold for $4.9 million (£3.6m) at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, making it the second most expensive football jersey ever sold.
The famous yellow shirt attracted 10 bids from more than five bidders during Thursday’s auction. It now ranks only behind the Argentina shirt Diego Maradona wore when he scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal against England at the 1986 World Cup, which sold for £7.1 million in 2022.
The sale also set a new record for Pele memorabilia. The same shirt changed hands for $105,600 (£70,505) in 2004, highlighting the huge rise in demand for historic football collectibles over the past two decades.
Pele wore the shirt when he inspired Brazil to a 5-2 victory over hosts Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final. Aged just 17, he scored twice and helped Brazil lift their first World Cup trophy. He still holds the record as the youngest player to score in a World Cup final.
“Today’s result is a powerful testament to the enduring legacy of one of the greatest footballers of all time,” said Brendan Hawkes, Sotheby’s head of sports strategy and development.
“This shirt is not only a lasting reminder of one of the most important moments in football history, but is principally connected to the very moment that catapulted Pele into a global sporting icon.”
The auction, titled The Beautiful Game, also featured several other pieces linked to football’s biggest names.
Maradona’s captain’s armband from the 1986 World Cup, including the match against England, sold for $512,000 (£380,000). A Lionel Messi shirt from Barcelona’s remarkable 6-1 Champions League comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 fetched $217,600 (£161,482), while David Beckham’s shirt from his 50th England appearance at the 2002 World Cup sold for $51,200 (£37,996).
The latest sale reinforces Pele’s enduring place in football history, with memorabilia from the three-time World Cup winner continuing to command some of the highest prices ever seen at auction.
