A collection of Lionel Messi’s World Cup-worn jerseys go on auction next week and could become the most expensive soccer-related memorabilia sold at auction, with a pre-auction estimate of $10 million.
At the same time, the Argentine superstar’s casual clothing line continues to struggle.
Auction house Sotheby’s will sell a collection six Messi-worn Adidas jerseys from World Cup matches last year: the final, semifinal and quarterfinal, the round of 16 and two of the group stage matches.
“These match-worn shirts are artifacts of Messi’s legacy,” says Sotheby’s in its sale catalog. “They symbolize the culmination of a career filled with hard work and an undying passion for the beautiful game.”
If the jerseys sell for the pre-auction estimate, the deal would top the $9.3 million Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” jersey sold at auction last year. That jersey—acquired by England player Stephen Hodge in the once-traditional shirt swap at the end of 1986 World Cup quarterfinal—is famous (or infamous depending on rooting interest) for the Argentine great scoring a goal with the help of his hand in the first half. He followed it with a goal considered one of the best of the century in the second half. Somewhat oddly, the Messi jerseys for auction are ones worn only in the first half of games. Messi scored goals in at least four them, however, having tallied first-half goals in the group of 16, semifinal and the final, which saw Argentina win its third World Cup.
Sale of the jerseys will also mark a big win for AC Momento, a sports memorabilia startup that acquired the jerseys from Messi. While terms of the AC Memento acquisition aren’t disclosed, some portion of the auction proceeds go to a children’s hospital, according to an Instagram post by Messi. AC Momento has seed venture capital funding from billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen through his Point72 Ventures, the Dan Gilbert-backed co-founded Courtside Ventures, Alexis Ohanian’s 776 and The Raine Group, among others, according to data compiled by Crunchbase.
The apparent big appetite for Messi memorabilia stands in contrast to the Inter Miami star’s casual clothing line. MGO Global, a fashion house co-founded by Ginny Hilfiger to design and market a line of Messi street clothes and other non-athleticwear products, reported its third quarter results last week. The company said it sold $931,000 worth of Messi clothing in the quarter. While that’s nearly triple what it sold the same period in 2022, it presumably underperforms expectations MGO had when it won the Messi license. Since 2020, MGO Global has sold a total of $3.6 million worth of Messi product. Under its current licensing deal that expires in 13 months, the company pays Messi an annual minimum royalty of $1.29 million.
A representative for MGO Global didn’t respond to a request for comment, but the company said in prepared remarks to investors last week that it is operating amid “challenges posed by a difficult capital market environment, inflationary pressure impacting consumers, geopolitical conflicts and a volatile macroeconomic backdrop.”
So while consumers are hesitating to pull out their wallets for Messi merchandise, collectors seem to be opening them wide.
