Six Messi Shirts to Be Auctioned for More Than $10 million to Go to Charity
T-shirts worn by Argentina's captain Lionel Messi at the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be auctioned off. Their total value is estimated at more than $10 million. This is reported by Sotheby's London auction.
The auction will run from 30 November to 14 December.
"The sale of these six jerseys is a monumental event in the history of auctions, as it offers fans and collectors the opportunity to touch Messi's greatest achievement," said Brahm Wachter, head of contemporary collectibles at Sotheby's.
Sotheby's calls the shirts up for auction artefacts of Messi's legacy.
"They symbolise the culmination of a career full of hard work and an undying passion for the beautiful game. Messi's path to the 2022 World Cup was not easy, so this victory has inspired generations of footballers and fans," the London auction said.
They quote Messi's reaction to winning the World Cup: "It was great. Everything changed for me that day. We finally got what we dreamed of, what I wanted for so long in my career. It finally happened."
The set of jerseys, including the one he wore to the World Cup final on 18 December, could become the most valuable collection of sportswear ever auctioned.
Part of the proceeds will be used to support the needs of children with rare diseases.
In May 2022, Sotheby's London auctioned Diego Maradona's T-shirt, in which he scored a goal against the England national team in 1986, for $9.3 million. It is currently the most expensive football item sold at auction.
As The Gaze previously reported, Lionel Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami, won the 2023 Ballon d'Or ("Golden Ball"). This is the eighth Ballon d'Or in the collection of the Argentine football superstar.
Previously, Messi received this prestigious award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021. For a long time, his main rival was Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the award five times, but this year Ronaldo was not even nominated. This time, Messi's main competition was Erling Haaland from Norway, Kylian Mbappe from France and Kevin De Bruyne from Belgium, who took second, third and fourth place respectively.
It is also interesting to note that Julien's Auctions in Nashville, USA, sold Kurt Cobain's guitar from the legendary Nirvana frontman's last tour for $1,587,500.