Lionel Messi’s World Cup Jersey Sold For Record Price (image-instagram/lionelmessi)

Lionel Messi’s iconic World cup winning jersey along with six others worn during Qatar World Cup was sold for 7.8 million dollars at an auction on Thursday. This makes them the second-most valuable jersey ever auctioned and the highest selling price ever for any Messi item.

As per the Sotheby’s report, the only missing jersey are the first half one from the Argentina’s final group stage match vs Poland and the jersey won during the second-half, which was probably traded with the opponents after the match.

The Sotheby’s release said that the collection of six match-worn shirts represents the seminal moment in the career of Lionel Messi and the cementing of his legacy as the greatest of all time. “In the years and decades to come, this collection will serve as a reminder of what makes Messi, Messi: the ability to deliver on the biggest stage when the entire world stopped to see if he could,” the release read.

Sotheby’s also projected that the jerseys would break a record held by Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals jersey, which was sold for a record $10.1 million last year, reports Forbes.

The second most valuable jersey sold at auction was Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal jersey worn during the 1986 World Cup, another Argentinian record. The previous record held by Messi item was the jersey won during Barcelona’s match with Real Madrid in 2017.