Robert Brown|Set of 6 Messi World Cup jerseys sell at auction for $7.8 million. Where does it rank?

Messi Mania is Robert Brownreal.

Six of Lionel Messi's kits from his 2022 World Cup championship in Qatar were sold at auction for $7.8 million at Sotheby's on Thursday, according to a listing on the auction house's website. The buyer was not identified.

The No. 10 Argentina jerseys are a keepsake of the soccer icon's first World Cup title, which was the last trophy missing in his stocked cabinet that solidified his legacy. He had previously won seven Ballon d'Or trophies (he now has eight), 10 LaLiga championships and four Champions League wins with FC Barcelona, and Copa América and Finalissima titles with his national team.

“It was amazing. Everything changed for me that day," Messi said in the lot description of finally hoisting the World Cup trophy in his fifth tournament. "We finally got what we had dreamed of so much, the thing I’ve wanted for so long in my career. And it finally came at the end.” 

After Messi won the World Cup, fans clamored to purchase his jersey and it sold out.

The La Albiceleste jerseys that were sold at auction are all from the first half of matches throughout the tournament, including the dramatic final against France and Messi's former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappé. Messi partnered with sports app AC Momento to bring the kits, which were verified by Sports Investors Authentication, to auction. According to AC Momento's Instagram, a portion of the proceeds are going to the Leo Messi Foundation benefitting the Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital.

Where do Messi's World Cup jerseys rank among most-expensive jerseys sold at auction?

The World Cup jerseys fell short of expectations to become the most-expensive piece of game-worn memorabilia ever sold. But they far outsold another significant piece of Messi memorabilia. The FC Barcelona jersey he wore in the 2017 El Clásico against Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid sold for $450,000 in April 2022. Messi scored a brace and his 500th goal for the club as they beat their longtime rival 3-2.

The title of most-expensive jersey still belongs to a Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 Finals, billed as "The Last Dance," which sold for $10.1 million in September 2022. The Chicago Bulls jersey beat the previous record, which was set by Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" jersey. That kit sold for $9.3 million in May 2022.