Brazilian football legend Pele’s World Cup shirt sells for $4.9m

A historic piece of football memorabilia reached a new benchmark when Pelé's 1958 World Cup final shirt sold for $4.9 million at Sotheby's auction house in New York. The garment holds particular significance as it was worn during one of the sport's most iconic moments—Brazil's first World Cup victory, in which the then-17-year-old Pelé scored twice against host nation Sweden in a 5-2 final. The auction attracted substantial interest, with 10 bids placed by more than five separate bidders competing for the item.

According to Sotheby's, the sale represents the highest price ever achieved for any piece of Pelé memorabilia. The auction house emphasized the shirt's historical importance, noting that images from the 1958 final have become among the most widely reproduced photographs in sports history, and this garment was present at that defining moment. Pelé, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, went on to become one of football's most celebrated figures globally before his death in 2022. He remains the youngest player ever to score in a World Cup final.

While the sale price is substantial, it does not rank among the most expensive sporting artifacts ever sold. A baseball jersey worn by Babe Ruth during the 1932 World Series fetched $24.1 million in 2024, while Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey sold for $10.1 million. Diego Maradona's jersey from the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England achieved $9.2 million at auction, according to auctioneers Bonhams. The Pelé shirt had previously been auctioned in 2004 for approximately $105,600.