The world championship medal awarded to Brazilian legend Pelé after the 1958 World Cup final is expected to fetch £500,000 at an auction in England later this month.
The medal of Pelé, a gifted young teenager, is part of a catalog of 450 objects linked to the World Cup put on sale by sports memorabilia specialists Budds which are aiming for a total of around 2 million pounds sterling (2.14 million francs).
A Brazil jersey worn by Pele in the 1958 final is estimated at more than $6 million in a separate auction at Sotheby’s in New York, which runs from June 29 to July 16, three days before the World Cup final which begins on Thursday. In that memorable 1958 final, 17-year-old Pelé scored a brace in the emphatic 5-2 victory over hosts Sweden. This is the first of five world crowns for Brazil, including three with “O Rei”, a record.
The jersey of Banks, legendary opponent of Pelé
Pelé, real name Edson Arantes do Nascimento, died in December 2022 at the age of 82 after being diagnosed with colon cancer.
Among the other lots in the British auction is the jersey worn by English goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who made an exceptional save against Pelé during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Which made Pelé say: “I scored a goal, but Banks stopped it”. Fans will also be able to bid on the gold medal of another English football star Alan Ball, crowned world champion in 1966.
An online auction runs from June 1-21, featuring jerseys from nations competing in the 2026 World Cup, before an in-person sale on June 25 at Budds Auction Rooms in Wellingborough, central England.
