Six Messi T-shirts from the 2022 World Cup were auctioned off for almost $8 million

Six t-shirts worn by Lionel Messi during the 2022 FIFA World Cup were auctioned off for $7.8 million. Among these was the jersey worn during the final match against France.

The auction also featured jerseys worn by Messi during the Round of 16 against Australia, the quarterfinal against the Netherlands, the semifinal against Croatia, as well as two group stage matches.

Bidding concluded on December 14, with the winning bid amounting to $7,803,000. Interestingly, the winning offer was made just minutes before the auction's deadline. Prior to that, organizers had only received three bids, the largest of which was $6.5 million.

Initially, the auction organizers aimed to raise over $10 million from the sale of these jerseys, surpassing the amount garnered from the sale of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls jersey from the first game of the NBA Finals in 1998. Jordan's iconic jersey was sold in September 2022 at an auction in New York for a record-breaking £8.1 million ($10.15 million). It remains the most expensive sports memorabilia item sold.

A portion of the proceeds from the auction of Messi's jerseys will reportedly be donated to the San Joan de Déu Children's Hospital in Barcelona.

It is worth recalling that Messi won the 2022 World Cup with the Argentine national team. At the close of 2022, Lionel Messi was awarded the Ballon d'Or.