This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/8/2023
There are only a handful of athletes throughout history that were so dominant in their sport that even when a new icon comes along and breaks a large share of the previous records, enthusiasts will never relent in calling the original the "Greatest of All Time." In the hearts of minds of many, Babe Ruth will always be the greatest baseball player ever, Michael Jordan the greatest basketball player, and Wayne Gretzky the greatest hockey player. The same holds true in the world of soccer for Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more commonly known as Pele. In 1958 and at 17 years old, Pele became the youngest player ever to play a World Cup at the time, and his two goals in the championship game against Sweden, a 5-2 victory started his legacy as the greatest "footballer" in the history of the game. The featured jersey carries importance to "The Beautiful Game" ( a phrase popularized by Pele) to which few can compare; a 1970 National Team game used and signed jersey of the immortal Pele. Brazil won their 3rd World Cup Championship in 1970 with Pele scoring the first goal in the finals of a 4-1 victory over Italy. The jersey shows Brazil's bright yellow and green colors, with the CBD (Confederação Brasileira de Desportos) logo on the left chest, and Pele's familiar #10 on the reverse. The inside collar carries the Athleta clothing tag, and the jersey has been authenticated with a perfect A10 score from MEARS, providing a detailed description of the indicators for authentication, stating that it shows heavy use and consistent wear. Extra provenance comes in the form of an LOA from Maria Cecilia dos Santos Cardoso, daughter of Brazilian soccer legend Garrincha (Manoel dos Santos), Pele's teammate on the 1958 and 1962 World Cup championship squads. The letter so states that Pele wore this jersey in a 4/29/70 friendly match vs. Austria, a 1-0 victory for Brazil. The jersey is also signed by Pele and authenticated by JSA. An amazing piece of history for the game's most popular sport worldwide! LOA with an A10 score from Troy Kinunen/MEARS, LOA from Cecilia dos Santos Cardoso, and LOA for the signature by James J. Spence III/ JSA.