The 10 Most Expensive Football Shirts Ever Sold
September 26, 2025
Football shirts are an important part of sporting history. They are linked to iconic matches, players, and events remembered all over the world. For fans, a shirt brings back memories; for collectors, it often has financial value too. In this overview, we’ll take you through some of the most valuable shirts ever auctioned. From tears on the pitch to world-famous goals, each shirt tells its own story, and comes with a price tag that will leave you speechless.
10. Cole Palmer – Premier League Match 2024/25 (€41,127)
Cole Palmer made history, not just on the pitch but also at the auction house. The shirt he wore during his incredible four goals in the first half against Brighton, a Premier League first, was sold for £34,411 (around €40,000). The auction took place via MatchWornShirt, with proceeds going to Chelsea, part of which was donated to the club foundation.
With this sale, Palmer became the first Englishman to enter the top 10 most expensive shirts on MatchWornShirt, surpassing even the record amount for a Kylian Mbappé shirt. Only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Heung-Min Son rank above him. A special distinction for the young Chelsea star.
9. Paul Gascoigne – World Cup Semi-final 1990 (€42,160)
During the 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany, Paul Gascoigne experienced one of the most emotional moments of his career. In the 83rd minute, the Englishman received a yellow card, ruling him out of a possible final. His tears, watched live by 25 million viewers in the UK, made him a cult hero.
The white England shirt with number 19, signed by his teammates, was auctioned in September 2004. Expected to fetch no more than £20,000, a private collector eventually paid £28,680 (then €42,160). Despite England’s painful penalty defeat, this shirt became one of the most coveted football collectibles in the world.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo – Last Man Utd Match 2021/22 (€45,012)
On November 6, 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo played his final game for Manchester United, a 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa. Shortly after, the Portuguese star left the club following a turbulent period.
The match-worn shirt from that evening gained special historical value, marking the end of his second spell at the club. At a later auction, it sold for more than €45,000.
7. Heung-Min Son – Europa League Final 2024/25 (€48,907)
On May 21, 2025, Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a historic night in Bilbao. In the Europa League final against Manchester United, a second-half goal secured a 1-0 victory. It was Spurs’ first trophy in 17 years and their first European title since 1984.
Captain Heung-Min Son, the face of Spurs for years, lifted the trophy after the final whistle. His signed final shirt was auctioned shortly afterward, fetching over €48,000, far exceeding expectations.
6. Lionel Messi – Ligue 1 Match 2022/23 (€55,019)
On January 29, 2023, PSG faced Stade Reims wearing special shirts featuring players’ names, including Lionel Messi’s, in Mandarin. The match ended 1-1. These shirts were a tribute to the Chinese New Year celebrated at that time.
Messi’s shirt attracted global attention and was soon auctioned. Remarkably, the entire top 17 of bidders came from China. It became one of the most sought-after collector’s items of that season.
5. Sir Geoff Hurst – World Cup Final 1966 (€77,000)
An iconic moment in football history is immortalized in the red long-sleeve shirt Sir Geoff Hurst wore during the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany. In this legendary match, Hurst scored a hat-trick, including the controversial goal in extra time.
This achievement secured England’s first, and so far only, World Cup title. The shirt was auctioned in 2000 for an impressive €77,000 and remains a treasured piece of football history.
4. Lionel Messi – El Clásico 2016/17 (€428,000)
Before Messi’s World Cup shirt collection went under the hammer in 2023 for record sums, another shirt topped his personal auction list. In 2022, a Messi-worn shirt from the legendary 2017 El Clásico was sold for €428,000.
It was the match where Messi scored the winning goal in the dying seconds against Real Madrid, marking his 500th career goal for Barcelona, an unforgettable moment.
3. Pelé – 1000th Goal vs. Botafogo 1969 (€580,000)
In 1969, Pelé scored his legendary 1,000th career goal, a milestone celebrated with great spectacle in Brazil. Earlier counts mistakenly claimed the milestone came in a Rio match, but later corrections confirmed it happened against Botafogo da Paraiba.
After the match, Pelé gave his shirt to a local official and even played as goalkeeper to make the moment extra special. This white number 10 shirt was auctioned in 2023 for around £500,000 (about €580,000).
2. Lionel Messi – Set of 6 World Cup 2022 Shirts (€6.7 million)
At a Sotheby’s auction, six match-worn shirts from Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar sold for a staggering $7.8 million (about €6.7 million). These were the shirts Messi wore while leading Argentina to a historic title, with only one missing: the one he wore against Poland.
Just before the auction closed, the bidding jumped from $6.5M to $7.8M. While it didn’t set a new record, the collection is now among the five most expensive sports memorabilia ever sold. According to Sotheby’s, these shirts are more than sportswear. They’re a tangible memory of one of the greatest moments in sporting history and the pinnacle of Messi’s career.
1. Maradona – World Cup 1986 Quarter-final (€8.3 million)
The shirt Diego Maradona wore during the legendary 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England sold at Sotheby’s for a record £7,142,500 (over €8.3 million).
In this shirt, Maradona scored two of the most iconic goals in football history: the infamous “Hand of God” and the “Goal of the Century,” where he dribbled past multiple English players from his own half.
The match carried extra weight as it took place just four years after the Falklands War. For Argentinians, the victory meant more than football. The shirt ended up with Steve Hodge, the English midfielder who unwittingly assisted Maradona’s first goal. After years on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester, it went under the hammer.
Sotheby’s described it as “probably the most sought-after football shirt of all time,” underlining its historical significance for both fans and collectors. For millions, it remains a lasting symbol of Maradona’s genius.
An authentic match shirt often costs no more than €10 to produce, yet nowadays it easily sells for over €100. And that’s not even considering match-worn shirts. As you’ve seen, those can eventually go under the hammer for millions. It shows just how valuable a memory of the game can be.
In our Mystery Boxes, you may not find million-euro shirts, but you will get original, unique, and high-quality football shirts. Just as surprising… and ready to make your own football moment truly valuable!