Pelé's Game-worn Jersey from 1958 World Cup Final Fetches $4.9 Million at Auction

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's soccer legend Pele's FIFA World Cup 1958 final jersey at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City, US July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Jordan Tovin/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Brazil's soccer legend Pele's FIFA World Cup 1958 final jersey at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City, US July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Jordan Tovin/File Photo
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Pelé's Game-worn Jersey from 1958 World Cup Final Fetches $4.9 Million at Auction

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's soccer legend Pele's FIFA World Cup 1958 final jersey at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City, US July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Jordan Tovin/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Brazil's soccer legend Pele's FIFA World Cup 1958 final jersey at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City, US July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Jordan Tovin/File Photo

A No. 10 jersey worn by Brazil icon Pelé in the 1958 World Cup final has been sold for $4.9 million, Sotheby’s said Thursday.

Pelé, who died in 2022, was 17 when he scored twice in Brazil’s 5-2 win over hosts Sweden at the Rasunda Stadium and still remains the youngest player ever to score in a World Cup final.

Sotheby’s said the jersey worn by the Brazilian star is the second-most valuable soccer shirt ever sold. Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey sold in 2022 for $9.3 million.

The previous most valuable item of Pelé memorabilia was $976,000 for a 1958 trading card last month, The Associated Press quoted the auction house as saying.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento — aka Pelé — had gifted the handmade shirt after the final to his roommate and teammate, Dida.

The jersey had remained with Dida’s family for decades before being housed in a Brazilian museum and eventually acquired in 2004.



Argentina Await FIFA Decision Over Displaying World Cup Falklands Banner

 Argentina players hold a banner with the words "The Malvinas are Argentine", referring to the Falkland Islands, at the end of the World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.(AP)
Argentina players hold a banner with the words "The Malvinas are Argentine", referring to the Falkland Islands, at the end of the World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.(AP)
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Argentina Await FIFA Decision Over Displaying World Cup Falklands Banner

 Argentina players hold a banner with the words "The Malvinas are Argentine", referring to the Falkland Islands, at the end of the World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.(AP)
Argentina players hold a banner with the words "The Malvinas are Argentine", referring to the Falkland Islands, at the end of the World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.(AP)

Football's global governing body FIFA will assess match reports before deciding if they take any action over Argentina's players holding up a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (The Falklands are Argentine) following their 2-1 victory over England.

A British minister had Thursday called for FIFA to look into the incident following the World Cup semi-final match in Atlanta.

FIFA released a statement late Thursday saying they were "assessing the match reports".

"As is standard procedure, FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee is currently assessing the match reports and considering the relevant circumstances before deciding on potential further steps based on the FIFA disciplinary code," it said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Downing Street office Thursday backed the calls by Business Minister Peter Kyle, who called the flag waving an "egregious violation" of FIFA rules which ban political symbols on the field of play.

"The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Argentina invaded the British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic in 1982.

But Britain regained the archipelago in a brief war after then prime minister Margaret Thatcher dispatched a naval taskforce.

"Politics needs to be separate from football. In fact, the World Cup has one of its central tenets that politics is separate from football," Kyle told BBC television.

Argentina's football association were fined £20,000 ($27,000) by FIFA in 2014 for players posing in front of a banner with the same message before a friendly against Slovenia.

FIFA said the gesture had breached rules on "political action" and team misconduct.

Britain occupied the Falklands in the 19th century, but Argentina claims the islands are part of its territory.

Argentina President Javier Milei called the stunt "perfectly valid and legitimate."

"It's a feeling that exists within all Argentines," he told El Observador radio station.

"The Malvinas are Argentine, we're going to recover them, and we will do it through diplomatic means," said Milei.

Argentina's vice president, Victoria Villarruel, upped the tensions ahead of Wednesday's kick-off by dubbing the English "usurping pirates".

The 1982 conflict ended with the deaths of 649 Argentines and 255 Britons.

After the World Cup match, Argentina's Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said Buenos Aires had filed a formal protest over a British warship near the Falkland Islands.

Quirno voiced on X "the strongest rejection" of Britain's HMS Medway's "unconsulted and illegal" passage through Argentine territorial waters.


Spain PM Sanchez to Attend World Cup Final

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
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Spain PM Sanchez to Attend World Cup Final

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives for the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will attend the World Cup final to see his country take on reigning champions Argentina, his government said Friday.

Sanchez, a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump -- who plans to attend Sunday's final in New Jersey -- will then travel to Algeria for an official visit.

Trump will also attend the World Cup final, the White House confirmed on Thursday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president would be in New York City on Friday to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in Manhattan, then be at Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.


Argentine President Won’t Attend World Cup Final, Citing Superstition

Argentine President Javier Milei gestures as he speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 172nd anniversary of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Mariana Nedelcu
Argentine President Javier Milei gestures as he speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 172nd anniversary of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Mariana Nedelcu
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Argentine President Won’t Attend World Cup Final, Citing Superstition

Argentine President Javier Milei gestures as he speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 172nd anniversary of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Mariana Nedelcu
Argentine President Javier Milei gestures as he speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 172nd anniversary of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Mariana Nedelcu

Argentine President Javier Milei said on Thursday he won't be attending the World Cup final because of superstition, instead choosing to view Sunday’s match between Spain and Argentina from home — where he has watched the defending champion's previous seven games, all victories, in the tournament.

In a bid to help his nation’s beloved soccer team secure its second consecutive title, Milei added, he'll be wearing the same heavy jacket, too.

Fans and players around the world cling to superstitions they believe can bring good luck to their team — or misfortune to their opponents. But in Latin America, and particularly in Argentina, so-called “cábalas," or ritualistic beliefs and habits, carry unusual weight, reflecting the intensity with which many there watch their national team.

When asked Thursday whether he'd travel to New Jersey for Sunday's game to watch alongside his close ally US President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, as was widely expected, Milei replied, “No way."

“I'm going to keep watching all the games from Olivos," he told a local Buenos Aires radio station, El Observador, referring to his presidential residence.

The journalist asked if he's staying home for superstitious reasons. Milei said yes, going on to explain another of his rituals: "Since it's cold and I don’t turn on the heat, I wear an oil company-branded jacket. The day of the Switzerland game, it made me really hot. I took it off, and they scored a goal against us. I put it back on and never took it off again.”

Like Milei, most Argentines have cábalas that require they stick to the exact same routine if the team is winning, The Associated Press reported. Some wear the same clothes during every match, refusing to wash their jerseys for the duration of the World Cup. Some watch each game in the same spot — or are not allowed to watch at all, as can be the case with those who happen to be in the bathroom when Argentina scores.