Pelé's 1958 World Cup Jersey Sells for Nearly $5 Million in Record Auction

A historic jersey worn by Brazilian football legend Pelé during the 1958 World Cup final sold for approximately $4.9 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York, marking the second highest price ever paid for a football shirt. Pelé wore the jersey when he scored twice against Sweden, securing Brazil's first-ever World Cup title at just 17 years old. The shirt was originally given by Pelé to his teammate Didi and remained in Didi's family for decades before being displayed in a museum and eventually auctioned for the first time in 2004.

After ten bids from five contenders, the jersey was sold to an anonymous buyer. The record for the most expensive football jersey remains with Diego Maradona's 1986 World Cup shirt, which fetched $9.3 million. Maradona wore that shirt during the iconic quarterfinal match against England, where he scored the famous "Hand of God" goal. According to a July 2026 report by El País, experts speculate that the buyer of Pelé's jersey might be Qatar's Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, though this has not been officially confirmed.