ARGENTINA
Leo Messi puts match worn 2022 World Cup shirts up for auction at Sotheby’s
Six shirts worn by the Albiceleste captain on the path to Argentina’s third World Cup win will go on sale next month at Sotheby’s with a percentage of the proceeds going to a Barcelona hospital.
Six shirts worn by Lionel Messi during games at the last World Cup in Qatar 2022 are set to go on sale on 14 December at Sotheby’s in New York at a joint estimated price of more than 10 million dollars. If this price is met the jerseys could become “the most valuable sports collection that has ever come to auction,” Sothebys explained in a statement.
The shirts, with the famous number 10 and Messi’s name on the back, are match worn shirts as used by the striker on the path to the 2022 trophy during the first half of the final, semi-final game, quarter-final game vs Netherlands, round of 32 tie and two of the group stage matches, as detailed by the auction house, which hints that the second shirt from the final (with which he lifted the cup) is not in this lot. The six shirts will be available for bidding between 30 November and 14 December with ‘part of the proceeds’ - it is not explained how much - set to go to the UNICAS project of the Sant Joan de Pediatric Hospital Deu in Barcelona.
Sotheby’s confirm that the six garments will be auctioned as a single lot and if they exceed 10 million they could surpass the 10.1 million raised by a Michael Jordan shirt (as worn in the 1998 NBA final). Messi’s shirts have been presented to Sotheby’s by a technology ‘start-up’ called AC Momento, which according to Sotheby’s has a well-known ‘app’ for fans of different sports and also manages athletes’ valuable items.