Pele’s 1970 World Cup Final Shirt Auctioned Off

The famous yellow number 10 shirt Pelé wore in the 1970 World Cup Final was auctioned off at Christies in London yesterday. It went for £66,500 (about €92,500 or $137,100) which is pretty pricey, certainly a lot more expensive than anything in The Offside Store but then Pelé never won the World Cup wearing anything you’ll find in there. Pelé scored the opening goal in the 1970 final as Brazil won 4-1, winning the Jules Rimet trophy for the third time and so keeping it forever. The shirt was from a collection belonging to Mario Zagallo, the manager that day in 1970.

Pelé handed his boss the shirt after the game and it apparently went straight into Zagallo’s 1,500 strong collection. The famous number 10 actually fetched less than the £80,000 it was estimated to bring in, but £66,500 is still a decent amount for one item of clothing. I’m hoping the anonymous buyer won’t do anything silly like put it in a glass cabinet, but instead wears it down the park on a Sunday morning to see if any of that Brazilian magic rubs off.

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Category: South America