Pele to auction 229 sports memorabilia to aid Brazil’s COVID-19 fight

A Brazil jersey owned by Pele; an All Blacks shirt signed by Dan Carter; a New York Yankees photo autographed by Derek Jeter; David Beckham’s AC Milan shirt, plus others from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, are among 229 items that will be up for sale next month at an auction.
It was organised by Pele for the foundation he created in 2018 to help underprivileged children.
The Brazilian is the only player to claim three World Cup winner’s medals and a man often called the greatest footballer of all time.
He said all monies raised would help Brazil’s fight against and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
So far, 575,000 people have died in Brazil from Covid-19, the second-highest death toll in the world after the U.S.
“Pele is such a legend, he’s an icon and other sports stars look up to Pele,” Martin Nolan, Executive Director and CFO of Beverly Hills-based Julien’s Auctions, told Reuters.
“Because he was at home in his bubble, he had the time to focus on this project.”
Pele has provided some of his items for the September 22 auction but he has also called in favours from friends in the sport and entertainment worlds.
There are Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos jerseys and photos autographed by the 80-year-old Pele, and others signed by ex-Brazil teammates such as Rivellino, Jairzinho and Clodoaldo.
Mario Zagallo, the coach of the revered 1970 Brazil World Cup-winning side, who turned 90 earlier this month, also contributed as did Neymar, Roberto Baggio and Roger Milla.
World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer signed several photographs from his New York Cosmos and West Germany days, and there is a match ball from the 2015 Champions League final.
Shirts and equipment used in basketball, American football, field hockey and water polo are also up for grabs.
One of the items expected to fetch a high price is a gold-plated bronze cast of Pele’s foot made by celebrity sculptor Dante Mortet.
Outside football, Justin Timberlake, Maria Sharapova, Mark Wahlberg and the NBA all donated items.
“Anything from Pele people will want, but you mention Ronaldo, you mention Mbappe, those icons will be sought after,” said Nolan of the Portugal and France forwards.
“But because it is a charity auction people always show up. They are always extremely generous and they pay more than in a normal auction because they know it is going to a good cause.”
This is not the first auction organised by Pele.
In 2016, he auctioned more than 1,600 items from a collection he accumulated over six decades in the limelight and raised £3.6 million ($4.90 million).
This latest auction will take place at the Mall Galleries in London and is also open to online bidders.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Education
UNILAG inaugurates lecture series to promote humanities for global success
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has inaugurated the English Department Alumni Lecture Series to promote humanities education as a pathway to global opportunities.

Rights
Germany records 17,126 cases of child sex abuse in 2025
German authorities on Tuesday said that the number of registered cases of child sexual abuse in Germany had risen significantly over the past five years.

Health
Niger agency moves to enforce standards in private health institutions
NiSPHFA has intensified regulatory oversight of private health institutions to ensure compliance with established standards and improve healthcare service delivery.

States
FRSC impounds 39 vehicles for overloading, route violations
The Federal Road Safety Corps says it has arrested 39 vehicles for various traffic offences in the ongoing special enforcement operation across Kebbi.

World
U.S. issues security alert to citizens amid ongoing Mideast conflict
The U.S. Department of State on Tuesday issued the second security alert in three days amid heightened Mideast tensions, advising U.S. citizens to exercise increased caution.

States
Troops kill alleged Boko Haram driver in Yobe
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have killed a suspected Boko Haram driver and foiled an alleged terrorist extortion mission along the Paya Kafiya–Garin Gada area of Yobe.





