Pelé’s 1958 World Cup final shirt sells for $4.9 million
Sotheby’s said the jersey worn by Pelé in Brazil’s first World Cup triumph is now the priciest item of his memorabilia sold at auction.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
A jersey worn by Pelé in the 1958 World Cup final sold for $4.9 million at a New York auction, Sotheby’s said Thursday. The sale set a record for Pelé memorabilia, according to the auction house, and underlined the value collectors place on objects tied to football’s defining moments.
Sotheby’s said the shirt drew 10 bids from more than five bidders. The auction house said its value was tied closely to the match in which Pelé wore it: Brazil’s 5-2 victory over Sweden in the 1958 final.
Pelé, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, was 17 at the time, Sotheby’s said. He scored twice in the final as Brazil won the World Cup for the first time.
According to Sotheby’s, Pelé remains the youngest player to score in a World Cup final. The auction house described images from the 1958 final as among the sport’s most widely circulated, adding to the shirt’s significance for collectors.
A sharp rise since 2004
Sotheby’s said the same shirt had previously been sold at auction in 2004 for 70,505 pounds, or about $105,600. Its latest sale price marks a steep increase over that earlier auction result.
Pelé, who died in 2022, became one of Brazil’s most celebrated athletes and one of football’s best-known figures worldwide, according to Sotheby’s. His role in the 1958 final has remained central to his legacy because it came at the start of Brazil’s rise as a World Cup power.
The 1958 tournament also marked Brazil’s first World Cup title, Sotheby’s said. Pelé would later be identified with the country’s golden era in the sport, but the shirt sold in New York is linked to the first of those triumphs.
Below the top sports memorabilia records
Although the Pelé jersey set a record for items associated with him, it remains below the highest prices paid for sports memorabilia. Sotheby’s said a jersey worn by Babe Ruth in the 1932 World Series sold for $24.1 million in 2024, the highest known figure for a sports collectible cited in the sale context.
Other notable auction results include Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for $10.1 million, and Diego Maradona’s shirt from Argentina’s 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England, which sold for $9.2 million, according to auctioneers Bonhams.
The Pelé sale adds another football shirt to the upper tier of the sports memorabilia market. Sotheby’s framed the price as a reflection of the shirt’s direct link to a World Cup final, Brazil’s first global title and the early career of a player who became a central figure in the sport’s history.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.