Messi's 'World Cup Victory' Jersey Sold for 10 Billion Won... Could Not Surpass Jordan

Six Uniforms Including the One Worn in the World Cup Final
Breaking the 'Third Highest Price' Record After Jordan and Maradona

Lionel Messi (Argentina)'s six uniforms worn during the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup were auctioned off for about 10 billion KRW.

Six uniforms worn by Messi at last year's World Cup... auctioned for about 10 billion KRW

Six uniforms worn by Messi in the first half of last year's World Cup. These clothes are the Argentina national team's uniforms, characterized by vertical stripes of sky blue and white. On the back, Messi's name and the number '10' are written.
[Image courtesy of Sotheby's]

On the 15th, the US sports media outlet ESPN reported, "Six uniform tops worn by Messi at last year's World Cup were sold at Sotheby's auction in New York for 7.8 million USD (about 10 billion KRW)." Messi scored seven goals in the Qatar World Cup, leading Argentina to their first championship in 44 years. He also received the Golden Ball awarded to the best player of the tournament.

These uniform tops consist of six out of the seven uniforms Messi wore during the first half of the World Cup. They include the uniforms worn in two of Argentina's three group stage matches, as well as the Round of 16 (against Australia), Quarterfinals (against the Netherlands), Semifinals (against Croatia), and the Final (against France).

The remaining one uniform is believed to have been exchanged with a player from the opposing team during the final group stage match against Poland, Sotheby's auction house stated.

Bram Wachter, Sotheby's Head of Modern Collectibles, introduced, "These uniforms remind us of one of the most important moments in sports history," and "They are also related to the peak moments in the career of the football player who has won the most trophies in history."

Messi, putting the uniforms up for auction, stated, "I will donate part of the auction proceeds to a children's hospital in Barcelona, Spain, to help children suffering from illnesses."

Expected to break the highest uniform auction record... but ranks third after 'Jordan and Maradona'

Lionel Messi [Photo by Reuters]

Initially, Messi's set of uniforms raised expectations that it might break the highest auction price for uniforms worn by athletes during games, but it failed to achieve the record.

The highest record in this category is held by basketball legend Michael Jordan (USA). The uniform Jordan wore during Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals was auctioned last September for 10.1 million USD (about 13 billion KRW).

Also, Diego Maradona (Argentina)'s uniform worn during the 1986 Mexico World Cup quarterfinal match against England was sold at auction last May for 9.28 million USD (about 12 billion KRW).

Through this auction, Messi's uniforms became the third most expensive uniforms in history, following these two.

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