The number 10 jersey worn by Brazil great Pelé in the 1958 FIFA World Cup final sold for $4.9 million, auction house Sotheby’s said on Thursday.Pelé, who died in 2022, was just 17 when he scored twice in Brazil’s 5-2 win over hosts Sweden in the World Cup final at the Rasunda Stadium. He remains the youngest player to qualify for the World Cup.According to Sotheby’s, the jersey is now the second most expensive sports jersey ever sold at auction. Very expensive spare parts Diego Maradonathe famous “Hand of God” jersey, which sold for $9.3 million in 2022.The auction house also said the most expensive piece of Pelé memorabilia was a 1958 business card that sold for $976,000 last month.After Brazil’s World Cup victory in 1958, Edson Arantes do Nascimento – better known as Pelé – gifted a handmade jersey to his roommate and fellow Brazilian, Dida.The shirt stayed with Dida’s family for years before it was displayed in a Brazilian museum. It was later bought by a collector in 2004.Pelé remains the only player to have won three FIFA World Cups, lifting the trophy with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970.He scored six goals at the 1958 tournament, including the final two against Sweden as Brazil won 5–2 to claim their first World Cup title.In the 1962 World Cup, Pelé scored one goal as Brazil retained the trophy with a 3-1 win over Czechoslovakia in the final.He also played a key role in Brazil’s World Cup victory in 1970, scoring the first goal in Italy’s 4–1 victory in the final. Pelé finished the tournament with four goals.The artist died in 2022 at the age of 82 after suffering from cancer.
