Late Brazillian footbeller Pelé’s jersey donned during the final of the 1958 World Cup will be auctioned later in the month by fine art company Sotheby’s. The memorabilia is expected to be sold at around 5.7 crores (57,16,29,900 in Indian rupees and $6 million) according to a report from The Athletic. The auction will be held from June 29 to July 16. In the final, Pelé scored twice against Sweden to help Brazil win 5-2. Widely regarded as one of soccer’s greatest players, Pelé spent nearly two decades enchanting fans and dazzling opponents as the game’s most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team. Pele carried Brazil to soccer’s heights and became a global ambassador for his sport in a journey that began on the streets of Sao Paulo state, where he would kick a sock stuffed with newspapers or rags. In the conversation about soccer’s greatest players, only the late Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are mentioned alongside Pelé. Pele’s 1,281 goals in 1,366 games, as tabulated by FIFA’s website, came at a startling rate of 0.94 per match. Some of those were friendlies or came in games played as part of his military service, but he was just as prolific in official tournaments, with 757 goals in 812 games. In all, Pelé played 114 matches with Brazil, scoring a record 95 goals, including 77 in official matches.Story continues below this ad Another costly memorabilia The Hand of God goal by Argentina icon Diego Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals is entrenched in footballing lore. The Adidas Azteca ball used in the match was reportedly sold for around £2.5m-£3m at an auction in 2022. Maradona had punched the opening goal beyond England goalkeeper Peter Shilton before scoring a superb individual effort which was later voted ‘Goal of the Century’. Gary Linekar would halve the deficit but England were eventually knocked out as Argentina went on to win the World Cup. Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who was in charge of the match, owned the ball, which was sold by Graham Budd Auctions with the initial estimate having been between £2.5m and £3m, according to the Independent. In May that year, Maradona’s shirt from that iconic match had fetched a £7.1m (approximately 9.1 crores) at auction.
Pelé’s 1958 final jersey is to be auctioned and estimated to be sold at price of 5.7 crores
