Offering a chance to own a piece of football history, Sotheby’s are bringing six shirts worn by Lionel Messi during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to auction, including the shirt he wore in the final.
This time last year, all eyes were on Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, with particular attention being paid to Lionel Messi. Despite an unparalleled career adorned with countless titles and individual achievements was still chasing his first World Cup triumph in his fifth appearance at the tournament. Could he end that run and deliver his country their first World Cup title in 36 years? Spoiler: yes, absolutely he could and would. And now, a year to the day since the start of the 2022 World Cup, Sotheby’s has announced that it will be auctioning off a set of six of Messi’s match worn shirts from the tournament.
Worn by the Argentine captain during the first half of the Final, Semi-final, Quarter-final, Round of 16, and two of the three Group Stage matches, the set of six white and sky blue Argentina home shirts will be offered in a dedicated sale open for bidding from 30 November - 14 December. The extraordinary collection is estimated in excess of $10 million, with the sale poised to become the most valuable collection of sports memorabilia at auction.
A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to UNICAS Project, led by Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Barcelona Children’s Hospital with the support of Leo Messi Foundation, to meet the needs of children suffering from rare diseases.
Interestingly, the current record for a game-worn item of football sports memorabilia is Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt, which sold for $9.3 million at Sotheby’s London in May 2022. Will Messi once again go on to equal or even surpass his compatriot? Of course, this is a collection of six shirts compared to Maradona's one. Just saying.
Break open the piggy bank, search under the couch cushions and head to sothebys.com on 30 November to make your bid.
