Pelé's iconic 1958 World Cup final jersey sells for $4.9mn at auction

One of football's most treasured pieces of memorabilia has rewritten the record books after Pelé's iconic 1958 FIFA World Cup final jersey sold for $4.9 million (around Tk 600 million) at auction, becoming the most valuable item ever linked to the Brazilian legend.

Auction house Sotheby's confirmed the historic sale on Thursday, saying the jersey fetched the highest price ever paid for any Pelé memorabilia. The shirt was worn by the football icon during Brazil's 5-2 victory over hosts Sweden in the 1958 World Cup final—a match that secured the Seleção's first-ever world title.

Just 17 years old at the time, Pelé scored twice in the final to become the youngest player ever to score in a World Cup final, a record that still stands more than six decades later.

According to Sotheby's, the New York auction attracted more than five bidders, with 10 bids placed before the hammer fell. The extraordinary price reflected the historic significance of the jersey, which the auction house described as a witness to one of football's defining moments.

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé went on to become one of the greatest and most influential figures in football history, winning a record three FIFA World Cups before his death in 2022.

Sotheby's noted that photographs from the 1958 World Cup final remain among the most iconic images in football history, making the jersey one of the sport's most coveted collectibles.

The shirt had previously been sold at auction in 2004 for £70,505 (around $105,600), highlighting the remarkable rise in its value over the past two decades.

Despite its record-breaking price among Pelé collectibles, the jersey is not the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold. That distinction belongs to Babe Ruth's 1932 World Series baseball jersey, which fetched $24.1 million in 2024.

Other high-profile sports memorabilia include Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey, sold for $10.1 million, and Diego Maradona's iconic "Hand of God" World Cup jersey from 1986, which was auctioned for $9.2 million.