Lionel Messi jerseys from 2022 FIFA World Cup sell for $7.8 million at auction

A set of Lionel Messi jerseys has been sold for a jaw-dropping price at auction.

The six striped blue and white shirts including one jersey worn during the World Cup’s final match—sold for $7.803 million, according to the New York City-based auction house Sotheby’s.

The jerseys were worn in Argentina’s group stage matches against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, the knockout round clashes with Australia, Croatia, and the Netherlands, and the final against France. The only jersey missing from the collection is the one from Argentina’s group-stage win over Poland.

Sotheby’s had projected the jerseys would break a record held by Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which sold for a record $10.1 million last year, but they didn’t.

The second most valuable jersey sold at auction was Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal jersey worn during the 1986 World Cup, which sold for $9.28 million in May 2022.