Fresh off the conclusion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 19 with Spain winning with a 1-0 victory over Argentina, one of soccer’s most iconic artifacts has made history. The jersey Pelé wore during Brazil’s 1958 World Cup final victory over Sweden sold for $4.9 million at Sotheby’s, setting a record for Pelé memorabilia and underscoring the enduring value of the Brazilian legend’s legacy.
Going, Going, Gone!
Sotheby’s announced the sale June 16, saying the shirt worn by Pelé as a 17-year-old in Brazil’s 5-2 victory over host Sweden is now the most valuable item linked to the football icon ever sold.
The No. 10 jersey drew 10 bids from more than five bidders during the New York auction, Sotheby’s said.
Pelé scored twice in the final, helping Brazil capture its first World Cup title. He remains the youngest player ever to score in a World Cup final.
The auction house said the match cemented Pele’s place among football’s greatest players and noted that images from the 1958 final are “some of the most reproduced in the history of the sport.”
“This shirt was there,” Sotheby’s said in describing the jersey’s significance.
The jersey previously sold at auction in 2004 for 70,505 pounds, or about $105,600 at the time, according to Sotheby’s.
The sale ranks as the second-highest price ever paid for a football jersey at auction. The record remains the $9.3 million paid in 2022 for Diego Maradona’s Argentina shirt from the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England, when he scored the infamous “Hand of God” goal.
Pelé, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, died in 2022 at age 82. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history, he won three World Cups with Brazil — in 1958, 1962 and 1970 — a feat no other player has matched.
Despite the record price for Pelé memorabilia, the jersey is not the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold. That distinction belongs to a jersey worn by baseball great Babe Ruth during the 1932 World Series, which fetched $24.1 million in 2024. Other top sales include Michael Jordan’s jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals, sold for $10.1 million, and Maradona’s 1986 World Cup jersey.
