Pelé’s 1958 World Cup No. 10 Shirt Sells for $4.9 Million at Sotheby’s

Overview

• The blue No. 10 worn by Pelé in Brazil’s 1958 World Cup final was sold Thursday in New York for US$4.9 million after ten bids from five bidders.
• Sotheby’s said the shirt was the piece Pelé gifted to teammate Dida, remained with Dida’s family for decades, was shown in a museum and had previously been auctioned in 2004.
• The final price fell short of a roughly US$6 million pre-auction estimate and made the jersey the second-most expensive football shirt sold at auction, behind Diego Maradona’s 1986 shirt at US$9.3 million.
• The winning buyer has not been publicly identified, illustrating the common anonymity in top-tier memorabilia transactions handled by major houses such as Sotheby’s during the 2026 World Cup.
• The sale highlights why items tied to defining sporting moments gain extra value: Pelé was 17 and scored twice in the 5–2 1958 final and Brazil wore blue because the yellow kit clashed with host Sweden, facts that strengthen the shirt’s cultural and market appeal.