SAO PAULO (AP) — As soccer fans prepare for the World Cup, a jersey worn by one of the sport’s most iconic players is about to go up for auction.
Late Mr. Pele Sotheby’s announced on Tuesday that the No. 10 shirt worn during the 1958 World Cup final will be auctioned online from June 29 to July 16.
“This is the garment worn by one of the greatest soccer players in history on the night his reign began,” Brahm Wachter, Sotheby’s head of modern collectibles, said in a statement.
This jersey was worn by Pele in his first World Cup final. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also known as Pele, was 17 years old when he scored twice in Brazil’s 5-2 win over hosts Sweden at Stockholm’s Lasunda Stadium. He remains the youngest player to score in a World Cup final.
Pele, Passed away in December 2022 at the age of 82 Suffering from colon cancer, he gave his roommate and teammate Dida a handmade shirt after the final. The work remained in Dida’s family for several decades before being placed in a museum in Brazil, where it was finally purchased by its current, anonymous owner in 2004.
Fans and players alike say the Brazilian legend’s first goal in the final was one of the best in World Cup history. He controlled the ball with his chest and flicked it over the Swedish defender to score a goal. The second goal came from a header in the final minutes of the match.
Pele won his third World Cup. 1970 MexicoOne of three countries to host the tournament, along with the United States and Canada. The same Azteca Stadium that saw him as champion at the time will host this year’s World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa.
The auction period will also include a public opening beginning July 1st at Sotheby’s Breuer Building in New York.
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