Pele's 1958 Brazil World Cup Victory Jersey Sells for 7.3 Billion Won at Auction

1958 Final Jersey from Brazil's First World Cup Victory
Second Only to Maradona's 'Hand of God' Uniform in Auction Price Rankings

The uniform worn by the 'King of Football', Pele, when he led Brazil to its first-ever World Cup victory in 1958, was sold at auction for approximately 7.3 billion won.

Pele's uniform featured in the Sotheby's auction. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to AFP News Agency on the 17th (Korean time), "Pele's 1958 Sweden World Cup final uniform was auctioned at Sotheby's for 4.9 million dollars (about 7.26 billion won), setting a record as the most expensive Pele-related collectible ever." Sotheby's stated that more than five people participated in the bidding, and after 10 rounds of competition, the uniform found a new owner.

This uniform was worn by Pele at the age of 17 during the 1958 Sweden World Cup final, where he scored two goals against Sweden and led Brazil to its historic first championship. In this match, Pele set the records for the youngest player and the youngest goal scorer in a World Cup final, and both of these records remain unbroken to this day.

After the final, Pele gifted the uniform to his teammate Dida. Dida's family kept the uniform and later donated it to the Sports Museum in Rio de Janeiro. In 2004, the museum put it up for auction at Christie's, where it sold for 105,600 dollars (about 156 million won). Over the past 22 years, its value has increased nearly 50-fold.

Brendan Hawks, head of Sotheby's sports division, told ESPN, "This shirt is a legacy symbolizing the most important moment in football history, and is forever connected to the moment that made Pele a global sports icon. It is particularly meaningful to witness such great interest just ahead of the World Cup final."

This auction price is the second highest ever for a football uniform sold at auction. The record is held by the uniform that Diego Maradona wore during the 1986 Mexico World Cup quarterfinal against England, when he scored the 'Hand of God' goal; it sold for 9.3 million dollars (about 13.78 billion won) in 2022.

Meanwhile, in this auction, the captain's armband worn by Maradona during the 1986 World Cup was also sold for 512,000 dollars (about 760 million won).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.