Famous Argentine soccer player and captain Lionel Messi’s six jerseys from the 2022 World Cup will reportedly fetch $10 million at an auction in New York’s Sotheby’s. The French dynasty was broken at last year’s mega event by six white and sky blue jerseys, which are now reportedly worth millions of dollars.
Auction of Messi’s World Cup jerseys expected to reach $10m
His six tournament jerseys are reportedly fetching multi-million dollar bids at an auction in New York’s Sotheby’s, according to American journalist Ailsa Chang. According to Billy Lesnak, marketing coordinator for Pittsburgh’s Steel City Collectibles, these jerseys could fetch $10 million today, but in five, ten, or twenty years, they could fetch even more.
He went on to say that as a physical, tangible reminder of a particular sporting event, game-worn memorabilia is more likely to evoke those emotional responses than a simple picture or video.
Every fan deserves to own a game-worn jersey—one that they can feel, hang in their home, and brag about. It’s a real, physical representation of their favourite players, bringing them an even closer relationship to the game than they would otherwise be able to achieve.
According to Simeon Lipman, an upstate New York pop culture expert and appraiser, the smells and stains contribute to the nostalgia and help an auction house establish a provenance that these are the jerseys that Messi wore.
“Look, this is a grass stain. There seems to be a small tear. You may have noticed that there’s a loose thread on the back. What makes these jerseys genuine are the small details that they can actually identify. Therefore, that is crucial. The authenticity of an item’s provenance is crucial, according to sports memorabilia expert Simeon Lipman.
