Sotheby’s said Monday that a set of six jerseys worn by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s winning 2022 World Cup run will be auctioned in December, with a value of more than $10 million estimated.
These shirts were worn by the footballer throughout the first halves of group-stage matches against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, as well as later games against Australia, the Netherlands, and Croatia — and the final against France.
Argentina’s World Cup victory in Qatar last year was the ultimate feather in the forward’s cap, after failing to win the title in the previous four World Cups.
If the jerseys sell for more than $10 million, Sotheby’s estimates that the auction will be the most valuable collection of sports memorabilia ever sold.
The most expensive individual jersey ever sold at auction was one worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan during his 1998 NBA championship run with the Chicago Bulls.
It sold for $10.1 million last year.
In recent years, auction houses have taken notice of sports memorabilia as a burgeoning market.
The shirts are being auctioned off by AC Momento, a US tech business that helps sportsmen manage their memorabilia collections.
A percentage of the earnings will go to the UNICAS Project, a collaboration with a Barcelona children’s hospital that assists children with uncommon disorders.
The jerseys will be available for free public inspection from November 30 to December 14 when they go up for auction.
