Pele's historic 1958 World Cup final jersey heads to auction with record-breaking estimate. Here's how much it is valued at

One of the most iconic pieces of football history is set to go under the hammer later this month as the jersey worn by Pele during the 1958 FIFA World Cup final is expected to sell for more than $6 million at a Sotheby’s auction. Bidding for the legendary shirt will start on June 29 and end on July 16, just three days before this summer’s World Cup final. The sale is expected to establish a new record for Pele memorabilia and could challenge the all-time record for the most expensive football jersey ever sold. That record currently belongs to Diego Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ shirt, which fetched $9.28 million in 2022.

Pele, just 17 years old at the time, scored twice in Brazil’s 5-2 victory over Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final. He remains the youngest player ever to both appear in and score during a World Cup final. The win marked Brazil’s first World Cup title and the beginning of a football dynasty that would eventually earn five championships. Following the historic victory, Pele gifted his No. 10 jersey to teammate and roommate Dida (Edvaldo Alves Santa Rosa).

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The shirt stayed with Dida’s family in Maceio, Brazil, before being donated in 1993 to the Museu dos Esportes Edvaldo Alves Santa Rosa. The museum later sold the jersey at auction in September 2004, where it was purchased for approximately $105,000. More than two decades later, the owner has decided to put the treasured item back on the market.

“This is not merely a shirt, 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,” head of Sotheby’s modern collectables Brahm Wachter said in a statement. “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.”

The growing value of Pele collectibles extends beyond jerseys. In February 2022, a 1958 Alifabolaget Pele card graded PSA 9 sold privately for $1.33 million, becoming the first soccer trading card to surpass the seven-figure mark. Since then, a Lionel Messi rookie card has sold for $1.5 million, while a Cristiano Ronaldo card recently reached $1.35 million.

The remarkable estimate for the 1958 World Cup jersey also highlights the rapid growth of the sports memorabilia market. In 2016, a three-day auction featuring more than 2,000 Pele items, including his World Cup medals, trophies, and commemorative crown from his 1,000th match, fetnearly $4.2 million in total sales. The current valuation of the single 1958 final jersey exceeds that figure by almost $2 million.