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

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificWorld CupMiddle EastExplainedOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranWorld Cup 2026Tracking Israel's ceasefire violationsDonald Trumpcaret-rightSport|FootballBrazilian football legend Pele’s World Cup shirt sells for $4.9mThe sale is a record for the Brazilian footballing great, but it is far from the most expensive piece of sporting memorabilia to be touted. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoBrazil's football legend Pele's FIFA World Cup 1958 final jersey was sold by Sotheby’s auction house in New York City [File: Jordan Tovin/Reuters]Published On 17 Jul 202617 Jul 2026The shirt worn by Brazil football icon Pele when he scored two goals to bring his team to victory in the World Cup final of 1958 has sold for $4.9m. Sotheby’s, the auction house that facilitated the sale, said on Thursday that the shirt has become the most expensive piece of Pele memorabilia ever sold. The shirt received 10 bids from more than five bidders in an auction in New York. It is particularly valuable because of the game the Brazilian wore it in. Pele, who died in 2022, was 17 when he scored twice in Brazil’s 5-2 win over hosts Sweden in the final. He was, and remains, the youngest player to score in a World Cup final. That game secured Brazil its first World Cup victory. Pele, whose real name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, went on to become one of Brazil’s – and the entire footballing world’s – most iconic players. The images of the 1958 World Cup final have become “some of the most reproduced in the history of the sport”, Sotheby’s said, adding: “This shirt was there.” The shirt had previously sold at auction in 2004 for 70,505 pounds ($105,600), according to Sotheby’s. While expensive, Pele’s shirt is not even nearly the most expensive piece of sporting memorabilia ever sold. That award goes to a baseball jersey worn by legendary batter Babe Ruth in the 1932 World Series, which sold for $24.1m in 2024. Other high-value items include basketball player Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for $10.1m, and a football jersey worn by Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona during the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England, which sold for $9.2m, according to auctioneers Bonhams. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: