A shirt that legendary footballer Pelé wore during one of his most iconic games is going up for sale — but, according to experts, fans will need a bank account with multiple commas in it if they want a shot at buying it.
Sotheby’s officials announced on Tuesday that the jersey Pelé donned during the 1958 FIFA World Cup Final will be hitting their auction block later this month, and they’re expecting it to fetch at least $6 million.
“This is not merely a shirt,” said Brahm Wachter, the head of Sotheby’s modern collectables, “it is the garment worn by one of the greatest footballers in history on the night his reign began, passed by his own hand to a friend and preserved with care for more than six decades.
“Its historical importance is without parallel in the football memorabilia market and is inseparable from the
legacy of the sport’s first true global icon.”
A 17-year-old Pelé put on the kit at Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm on June 29, 1958, and helped Brazil beat Sweden, 5-2.
Pelé, who died in 2022, became the youngest player to ever score a goal in a World Cup Final when he buried one in the back of the net in the 55th minute. He went on to add one more goal later in the contest.
The uniform is expected to threaten the record sale for a soccer memorabilia item, which currently belongs to the Diego Maradona “Hand of God” shirt, which sold for nearly $10 million in 2022.
Bididng on the Pelé piece will begin during the 2026 World Cup on June 29 and will end just days before the tournament’s final on July 16.
