Messi’s iconic jerseys from World Cup 2022 sold for £7.8 million

The final price of the shirts, according to Sotheby’s, represents the highest value for a piece of sports memorabilia this year.

The renowned 2022 FIFA World Cup jerseys worn by soccer legend Lionel Messi were auctioned off on Thursday for an astounding £7.8 million, according to Sotheby’s.

The soccer star donned the six football shirts during the first half of one of Argentina’s historic World Cup matches in Qatar last year.

The ultimate price paid for the famous shirts, according to Sotheby’s, represents the highest value for a piece of sports memorabilia this year.

Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout to win their third World Cup. Messi scored two of Argentina’s three goals, making the game memorable for one of the best players in history.

Brahm Wachter, head of Sotheby’s modern collectables division, said in a statement, “These historic shirts are not only a tangible reminder of one of the most important moments in the history of sports, but are principally connected to the pinnacle moment in the career of the most decorated football player in history.”

The shirts were put up for auction online over the course of two weeks at Sotheby’s New York headquarters. The winning bidder was not made public.

According to Sotheby’s, the UNICAS Project will receive a portion of the auction proceeds. With support from the Leo Messi Foundation, the Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital is spearheading this effort to assist kids with uncommon illnesses.

Messi, 36, spent 17 years at Barcelona before joining Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer. He is the only player in history to have won the Ballon d’Or eight times, an honor given to the best player in the league each year.

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Though that didn’t happen, Sotheby’s had hoped that the Messi shirts would set a record for the most expensive auction item ever for sports memorabilia worn during a game.

Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey set a record for the highest price paid for a game-used piece of sports memorabilia when it sold for $10.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York last year.