At an auction in New York on Thursday, six shirts that Lionel Messi wore during Argentina’s historic run at the 2022 World Cup brought in $7.8 million.
The set of shirts was the most valuable athletic memorabilia auctioned this year, according to auction house Sotheby’s, since the price broke the previous record for the sale of an item connected to the athlete.
The shirt Messi wore against France in the first half of the final in Qatar was included in the collection.
“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,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s Head of Modern Collect
At $10.1 million last year, Michael Jordan’s jersey from the first game of the 1998 NBA Final is the record for the highest price paid for a piece of game-used sports memorabilia.