A No. 10 jersey worn by Brazilian football icon Pelé during the 1958 World Cup final has sold for $4.9 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. This sale marks a record for the football legend, becoming the most valuable piece of memorabilia linked to him.
Pelé was 17 years old when he scored twice in Brazil’s 5-2 victory over hosts Sweden at the Rasunda Stadium. He remains the youngest player ever to score in a World Cup final.
The handmade shirt was gifted by Pelé to his teammate and roommate, Dida, after the final. The jersey remained with Dida’s family for decades before being housed in a Brazilian museum and eventually acquired in 2004.
While a record for Pelé, the jersey is the second-most valuable soccer shirt ever sold, following Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey, which sold for $9.3 million in 2022. The previous most valuable item of Pelé memorabilia was a 1958 trading card that sold for $976,000 last month.