The six jerseys Lionel Messi wore during last year's World Cup are set to be auctioned by Sotheby's in New York with fans expected to bid millions..
When Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup in Qatar last December in front of over 1.5 billion people tuning in from around the world, the moment seemed fit for the coronation of a football deity. It was on the pitch in Lusail Stadium on 18 December 2022 that Lionel Messi reached his final peak, forever etching his name atop the annals of football history as the greatest of all time. Pundits quipped that Messi had “completed football” on that warm December night in Doha, as the most decorated football player in history could finally add the triumph that had eluded him for the better part of two decades to his unrivaled résumé.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup adds to his dozens of other trophies and individual awards, which include four Champions League and ten LaLiga titles with Barcelona, Copa América and Finalissima trophies with Argentina, a record 8 Ballon d’Or awards (the most recent of which he won last month in large part due to his performance in Qatar), and two Golden Ball awards for being the best player at both the 2014 and 2022 World Cup.
Sotheby’s online auction which commenced 30th November has already recieved a bid of $5.2million with many predicting the lot could attract millions more before the auction ends on the 14th December.
The collection of six match-worn shirts represents the seminal moment in the career of Lionel Messi and the cementing of his legacy as the greatest of all time. In the years and decades to come, this collection will serve as a reminder of what makes Messi, Messi: the ability to deliver on the biggest stage when the entire world stopped to see if he could.
Worn through the first half of each respective match and collected by Lionel Messi’s match-worn memorabilia partner, AC Momento, these shirts have been photomatched by Sports Investors Authentication.
