A jersey worn by football legend Pele in the first World Cup final ever won by Brazil sold for 4.9 million dollars at a US auction on Thursday, marking one of the most valuable football memorabilia sales in recent years.
The Brazilian forward, nicknamed The King, was just 17 years old when he scored two goals in Brazil’s 5 to 2 victory over host nation Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final.
The blue shirt became the second most expensive football jersey ever sold at auction, with an anonymous buyer beating out four other bidders at Sotheby’s in New York to secure the historic item.
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The auction record for football memorabilia remains a jersey worn by Argentine star Diego Maradona during his legendary quarter final clash with England at the 1986 Mexico World Cup, which sold for 9.3 million dollars.
The sale underscores the continued strong demand among collectors for historic football memorabilia, particularly items connected to some of the sport’s most iconic moments and players.
Sotheby’s has not disclosed the identity of the winning bidder, though the sale adds to a growing trend of high value sports memorabilia auctions attracting significant international collector interest.
