Collecting football memorabilia has become an extremely popular pastime, and there surely can be no more coveted an item than a Lionel Messi match worn shirt.
The Argentinian has long been regarded as the best player in the world, and some would say the best to have ever played the game, so it goes without saying that his shirts would be amongst the most popular amongst collectors.
His career highlights reel is extensive, however, there’s little doubt that the 2022 World Cup win with Argentina will be the cherry on the top of anything that went before.
It also therefore stands to reason that any shirts worn by La Pulga during the series of matches in Qatar would be the most sought after.
According to BBC Sport, shirts worn in the first halves of two group matches, the last 16 game, quarter-final semi-final and final were auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York on Thursday, and sold for a combined $7.8m (£6.1m) fee.
The report also notes that a portion of the final fee will be sent to the Unicas Project, led by Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona Children’s Hospital with the support of the Leo Messi Foundation.
The final amount fell short of the record for a game-worn football shirt – Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ – which sold for £7.1m in 2022.