
<p>Six of the Argentina kits Messi wore during the 2022 World Cup are going up for auction. In all likelihood, the shirts will break records for the biggest bids in the history of sports auctions. Sotheby’s is listing the shirts in a bundle where the bidder will receive all the kits. The bidding group expects to rake in <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/lionel-messi-auction-world-cup-shirts-argentina-sothebys-b1121535.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$10 million</a> for the sale.</p>



<p>However, neither Messi nor Argentina will receive all that money. Messi announced on his Instagram account that a portion of the proceeds will go to the UNICAS Project. This is a fight against rare diseases affecting children that the Barcelona children’s hospital Sant Joan de Jeu leads. </p>



<p>Each of the six kits is from the first halves of games. Messi, like many players, switches shirts at halftime to stay fresh and light. The teams keep these shirts as memorabilia. Given Argentina’s success, these shirts will now go to auction worth millions. As of now, <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/michael-jordan-1998-nba-finals-jersey-sells-for-10-1-million" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Michael Jordan’s jersey</a> from game one of the 1998 NBA Finals holds the record. That sold for over $10 million earlier this year.</p>



<p>For soccer fans, Diego Maradona’s ‘<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/maradona-shirt-auction-opens-with-bid-of-5-million-20220420-CMS-380725.html">Hand of God’ kit</a> holds the sport’s record as the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia to go to auction. Last summer, the Argentina kit went for $9.32 million. The ball from that game collected a bid of $3 million.</p>



<p>With Messi’s bundle including six kits, including one that he scored in during the World Cup Final, the Argentine will likely break both records. Anybody can submit bids on the Sotheby’s website while the shirts are on display in New York for anyone to view. The auction opens Nov. 30 and runs through Dec. 14.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20231120_WST_471596_Messi-World-Cup-corner-1200x675.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-471652" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/Messi-World-Cup-corner-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/Messi-World-Cup-corner-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/Messi-World-Cup-corner-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/11/Messi-World-Cup-corner.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure><figcaption>Messi played every minute at the World Cup en route to Argentina winning the title for the third time.</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Messi World Cup kits at auction carry legacy</h2>



<p>Like the two previous auctions from Michael Jordan and Maradona, Messi won the respective title and that competition. That is what makes these jerseys worth so much in the eyes of bidders. Not only is Messi arguably the greatest player of all time. He had his greatest achievement as a player in these kits.</p>



<p>Moreover, Messi was unbelievable in Qatar during the World Cup. He won the award as the tournament’s best player en route to scoring seven goals, which was second to only Kylian Mbappe’s eight. Also, Messi had three assists in the competition. He scored both of his penalties during the shootouts against the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/argentina-edges-the-netherlands-in-world-cup-classic-20221209-WST-411833.html">Netherlands in the quarterfinal</a> and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/argentina-win-world-cup-in-one-of-the-classic-finals-of-all-time-20221218-WST-412674.html">France in the Final</a>. However, the kits on auction will not be <em>those</em> game-worn kits. The ones on auction are only from the first halves.</p>



<h2>Other Messi auctions</h2>



<p>With the stature of Lionel Messi in the soccer and sports world, his memorabilia is regularly among the most expensive. Even something just signed by Messi fetches thousands of dollars on different memorabilia websites. With game-worn items from the Argentine’s crowning moments, he will break records with the most expensive sports memorabilia items sold at auction.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>


Messi World Cup memorabilia to break sports auction records

Six of the Argentina kits Messi wore during the 2022 World Cup are going up for auction at Sotheby's in New York City.


<p>One of the most sought-after soccer trading cards in the world entered auction earlier this week. The card, a 1958 Americana LTDA Futebol Pele rookie, is considered extremely rare. This is, of course, reflected in the card’s final sale price. The auction ultimately ended on Thursday night with a winning bidder of $66,000.</p>



<p>The history of the card, and others from the series, is actually fascinating. Americana LTDA, a Sao Paulo-based manufacturing company, issued the set featuring the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/brazil-national-team-tv-schedule/">Brazil</a> national team. The move was to celebrate the nation’s triumph at the 1958 World Cup. It was the country’s first trophy at the tournament.</p>



<h2>1958 Brazilian trading card set was meant to be destroyed</h2>



<p>Brazil was fueled by a fresh-faced 17-year-old future star named Pele. The teen netted six goals in the competition, including scores in all three knockout round matches. Pele’s stellar play was recognized by top journalists covering the competition. Reporters included the Brazilian in the 1958 World Cup Team of the Tournament.</p>



<p>Despite Americana LTDA creating the set of trading cards to honor the Brazil team, the cards were actually meant to be destroyed. <a href="https://www.pwccmarketplace.com/premier-auction/11072" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pwcc Marketplace</a>, the auction house that sold the Pele card, claims that fans were told to rip up the cards upon receiving them. Collectors could have also mailed in the cards back to the company to receive special prizes.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Panini Chronicles Soccer Unboxing - Featuring Neymar Autograph!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ANWLuFmj6pA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<h2>Auctioned Pele card was given best rating by authenticating company</h2>



<p>Due to the odd request, few of these Pele cards have survived. In fact, records show that the rare card has only ever entered public auction a few times. Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) has also only handled 17 different copies of the card as well. </p>



<p>PSA is one of the most premier trading card grading companies in the world. Collectors send their best cards to the company and they authenticate it, give it an official grade (1-10) and mail it back to the consumer. Having a card graded by PSA fairly drastically increases the value of the item.</p>



<p>The specific Pele card was given a grade of 6.5 While this may seem low and not exactly special, cards from this era are rarely given a higher grade. In fact, this particular copy of the card was the best example of a 1958 Pele rookie card in the company’s history.<br><br><em>Card Images: PWCC</em>.</p>


Rare Brazilian Pelé trading card sells for $66,000

An extremely rare PSA authenticated 1958 Americana LTDA Futebol Pele rookie card was recently sold at auction for $66,000.

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Argentina

Messi World Cup memorabilia to break sports auction records

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Rare Brazilian Pelé trading card sells for $66,000