Lionel Messi’s World Cup final jersey expected to beat Michael Jordan’s world record at auction

Lionel Messi’s Argentina World Cup shirt could soon become the most valuable collection of sports memorabilia ever, selling for more than £8 million.

The jersey Messi wore at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, along with five other jerseys, will be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York.

Messi won the World Cup for the first time, scoring two goals in a 3-3 draw on penalties to help Argentina win the World Cup for the third time.

The shirt he wore in the dramatic final against France will be up for grabs, as will the shirt he wore in the semi-final against Croatia.

Also included as part of the collection are two jerseys for the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, the last 16 match against Australia and the three group stage matches.

His shirts will be available in New York from November 30th to December 14th.

Part of the proceeds will be donated to the UNICAS project as part of the Children’s Hospital of Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Barcelona.

It is supported by the Leo Messi Foundation to meet the needs of children with rare diseases.

The current record for a game-worn item is Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for £8.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York last September.

The most expensive football shirt ever sold was Diego Maradona’s shirt from the infamous ‘Hand of God’ match in 1986, with an anonymous bidder paying £7.1 million.

One of Messi’s shirts from the 2017 El Clasico was previously snapped up for £360,000 after scoring the injury-time winner against Real Madrid.

Brahm Wachter, head of modern collections at Sotheby’s, said: “The 2022 FIFA World Cup is one of the greatest events in sporting history, intrinsically linked to Messi’s heroic journey and firmly established His status as the greatest player of all time.

“The sale of these six shirts is landmark in auction history, providing fans and collectors with a link to Messi’s highest achievements.

“Sotheby’s is honored to present and display to the public this priceless collection that embodies the pure talent of a player who redefined the boundaries of football excellence.”