Lionel Messi’s 2022 FIFA World Cup final shirt is one of the series of Argentina shirts going up for auction with an estimated world record sale of over £8million.
Six of Lionel Messi’s World Cup jerseys from the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where Argentina won the trophy on penalties against France, are up for auction as a set at Sotheby’s in New York. A portion of the auction proceeds will go towards charity.
Aside from the jersey worn by Messi in the first-half of the World Cup final, the collection includes shirts from the semi-finals against Croatia, the quarter-finals against the Netherlands. Messi’s jerseys from the round-of-16 match against Australia, as well as two of the three games in the group stage is there in the collection. The collection is valued at at least $10 million, which would be a record for a sports memorabilia collection.
Currently, the most expensive sports memorabilia item is Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals – from the legendary ‘Last Dance’ season – which fetched £8.1m at Sotheby’s New York in September last year.
Sotherby’s on Lionel Messi’s jerseys
“These match-worn shirts are artefacts of Messi’s legacy. They symbolize the culmination of a career filled with hard work, and an undying passion for the beautiful game. Messi’s 2022 World Cup journey was about more than just winning; it was about inspiring generations of footballers and fans,” Sotheby’s has said about the collection.
“In the years to come, these shirts will serve as a reminder of Messi’s greatness and the indelible mark he left on the world of football. Worn through the first half of each respective match, they are symbols of triumph and perseverance,” they added.
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