Teenage Pelé's 1958 World Cup final shirt sells for £3.6m, second only to Maradona

A shirt worn by Pelé during the 1958 World Cup final has sold for £3.6m at Sotheby’s in New York, instantly becoming the second most valuable football jersey ever auctioned. The blue No 10 shirt attracted ten bids before closing at just under $5m, surpassed in football memorabilia history only by Diego Maradona’s Argentina shirt from the infamous ‘Hand of God’ game against England at the 1986 World Cup, which fetched £7.1m in 2022.

The same shirt last changed hands in 2004 for £70,505 — meaning it has appreciated roughly 50-fold in just over two decades. Pelé was 17 years old when he wore it against Sweden in Stockholm, scoring twice as Brazil claimed their first World Cup title. 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 in New York. “This shirt is not only a lasting reminder of one of the most important moments in football history, but it is principally connected to the very moment that catapulted Pelé into a global sporting icon.”

The shirt was the headline lot in Sotheby’s ‘The Beautiful Game’ auction on Thursday, but several other significant pieces of football history also went under the hammer. The captain’s armband worn by Maradona during the 1986 World Cup — on his wrist when he scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal against England — sold for £380,000.

A shirt worn by Lionel Messi during Barcelona’s 6–1 Champions League comeback victory over Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 realised £161,482, while David Beckham’s shirt from his 50th England cap at the 2002 World Cup sold for £37,996.

Pelé, who died in December 2022, won three World Cups with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970. The auction result cements his 1958 final shirt as the single most valuable item of his memorabilia ever sold.