Brazilian legend Pele, whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is the only player to have three World Cup-winning medals, has been the recipient of an amazing cornucopia of strange and exotic items from around the world, first in his playing days, and then as a roving sporting and humanitarian ambassador.
which includes everything from elaborate crowns and ceremonial daggers, model ships and jet fighters, to more prosaic clocks, dishes, and freedom-of-the-city keys from various municipalities.
Now the 75-year-old Fifa Player of the Century is to auction off all of the sporting and cultural memorabilia he has accumulated in a lifetime in football.
The sale will take place over three days in London in June, and covers the six decades from Pele’s signing for Santos as a 15-year-old in 1956.
Going under the hammer will be unique football items, including his three World Cup winner’s medals, and a one-off Jules Rimet trophy made for him after Brazil’s famous triumph in Mexico in 1970.
That World Cup replica is the most expensive item being auctioned, with an estimated price tag of £281,000 to £420,000. The medals are expected to fetch up to £141,000 each, and the ball he scored his 1,000th goal with is estimated to sell for £28,000 to £42,000.
Beverly Hills-based Julien’s Auctions has been chosen to handle the sale, which also includes personal items such as old passports and driving licences.
According to reports, for Over the past 12 months Pele has been in hospital for back, hip and prostate surgery. So is it for health or business reasons that he is now selling?
“There are many reasons, there are clearly some personal ones that he alone knows about,” Dan Nelles, sports specialist at Julien’s Auctions, revealed.
Pele himself is quoted saying: “It was a difficult decision to make but it takes a lot to properly care for these artefacts, and I felt I could do much more good by sharing these items with the world, as well as helping my causes that are important to me.”
Pele is many people’s choice as the best player of all time. He remains probably the world’s most recognisable player, with a Hollywood biopic Birth of A Legend recently premiering in New York.
Now the enduring proof of that legendary status has been laid out over more than 1,500 lots, with the auctioneers saying there should be “something for everyone“.
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