- Lionel Messi is auctioning a collection of his World Cup shirts today
- Chris Sutton has revealed the one piece of memorabilia he would like
- Mail Sport wants to know – which piece of memorabilia tops your wish list?
Lionel Messi is expected to break the world record for a piece of sports memorabilia when a collection of his shirts from last year’s World Cup – including the one he wore in the final – goes up for sale at auction today.
As Mail Sport exclusively revealed, the six tops will be auctioned as a set by Sotheby’s in New York and are expected to fetch more than £8m, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity.
The current record for a type of sports memorabilia is Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals – from Netflix’s hit “Last Dance” season – which sold for £8.1m in September of 2022.
But Messi could surpass that number, with fans eager to get their hands on the shirt he wore while winning the World Cup in Qatar.
Messi has auctioned his shirts in the past, with his 2017 shirt from an El Clasico clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid, where he scored the injury time winner at the Bernabeu, proving to be the most expensive to date at 360,000 £.
This time he is set to break that mark and could beat the current record for most football jerseys currently held by compatriot Diego Maradona.
Maradona’s Hand of God shirt from the famous 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England sold for £7.1m to an anonymous bidder last year.
It was put up for sale by former England midfielder Steve Hodge, who asked Maradona for his shirt after the match in Mexico City.
Hodge might have been happy to hand over a Maradona shirt, but Mail Sport columnist Chris Sutton would not have been so generous.
Sutton revealed on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast that the shirt he covets is Maradona’s, who he considers the ‘God’ of the game.
Co-host Ian Ladyman threw out some iconic names for Sutton to choose from, but the former Blackburn and Chelsea striker took no time at all to respond.
“I’d like Maradona,” Sutton told Ladyman when asked which shirt he’d most like.
“I would say he was the best of all time, Maradona. When you see the footage of him being kicked from pillar to post.
“Messi, brilliant player, Ronaldo, of course, you know, Pele. Pele was a little before my time, I’ve seen the footage but I thought Maradona was God.
“The attention he had and people used to circle him around the waist and he would just get up and go again. I thought he was the best. The pitches he also played on.’
Sutton has made his thoughts clear about the memorabilia he’s looking for, but what’s at the top of your wish list? Join the conversation in the comments.