Six jerseys worn by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s triumphant 2022 World Cup in Qatar have been auctioned off for over Ksh1 billion but still fell short of Diego Maradona’s record.
Six jerseys worn by Lionel Messi during Argentina’s triumphant 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar were auctioned off for $7.8 million (Ksh1.2 billion).
The collection, which included the jersey Messi wore during Argentina’s final victory over France, was sold at Sotheby’s New York.
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The jerseys were auctioned by tech startup AC Momento and were purchased by an anonymous bidder as per US media.
Despite expectations that the collection might break records, the final price fell short of the highest amount ever paid for a game-worn jersey at auction — $10.1 million (ksh1.57 billion) for Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey.
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However, the $7.8 million price tag is the highest amount paid for sports memorabilia at auction this year and sets a new record for a Messi memorabilia.
The previous record for a Messi match-worn item was $450,000 (Ksh70 million) for a jersey he wore during a 2017 El Clásico match with Barcelona.
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The auctioned collection included jerseys from two group stage matches, the round of 16 victory over Australia, the quarter-final penalty shootout win against the Netherlands, the semi-final triumph over Croatia, and the final win against France.
Messi had announced the auction in November, stating that a portion of the proceeds would be donated to the UNICAS Project, led by Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Barcelona Children’s Hospital, to support children with rare diseases.
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However, the Inter Miami superstar’s jersey auction failed to beat the record for the most expensive memorabilia held by another Argentine icon, the late Diego Maradona, whose 'Hand of God' kit fetched $9.32 million (Ksh1.4 billion) last summer.
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