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Several Australians spent their World Cup last-16 match with Argentina in Qatar trying to get hold of Lionel Messi\u2019s shirt, before Cameron Devlin cheekily snagged it after the final whistle.<\/p>\n
Now the opportunity has arisen to get hold of the guernsey the little magician wore in the first half of the match, during which he scored the opening goal.<\/p>\n
Messi is putting it up for auction along with five other shirts he wore as Argentina won the World Cup.<\/p>\n
They include the one he wore in the final itself when he scored twice in the 3-3 draw against France that preceded Argentina\u2019s penalty shootout win.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s just one problem for any Socceroo eager to grab a memento of their match \u2013 the price.<\/p>\n
The shirts are expected to fetch a collective $US10 million ($15 million), threatening the world record for sports memorabilia.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Garang Kuol did well to get a hand on Lionel Messi\u2019s shirt during Australia\u2019s World Cup round-of-16 loss to Argentina in Qatar.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n That is currently the $US10.1 million paid in 2022 for Michael Jordan\u2019s 1998 NBA Finals jersey. The record for a game-worn soccer shirt is \u00a37,142,500 ($14 million) for Diego Maradona\u2019s from Argentina\u2019s 1986 quarter-final 2-1 victory over England.<\/p>\n That was sold by Steve Hodge, whose mis-hit clearance was infamously punched in by Maradona\u2019s \u201cHand of God\u201d.<\/p>\n Both of those sold at Sotheby\u2019s, whose New York branch are auctioning the Messi set between November 30 and December 14. The shirts will be on view at its New York headquarters during the bidding dates.<\/p>\n An undisclosed portion of the proceeds will be donated to UNICAS Project, led by Sant Joan de Deu (SJD) Barcelona Children\u2019s Hospital with the support of the Leo Messi Foundation, to meet the needs of children suffering from rare diseases.<\/p>\n Devlin got Messi\u2019s shirt in Qatar without even playing in the match, won by Argentina 2-1.<\/p>\n \u201cI went on (the pitch) and consoled all the boys first and then shook Messi\u2019s hand,\u201d he recalled later. \u201cNo one had said anything so I just tried my luck and he said, \u2018I\u2019ll see you inside\u2019. I definitely wanted one of the other boys to have the opportunity first, but no one took it, so I thought why not?\u201d<\/p>\n It looks increasingly like Devlin struck the jackpot when he chanced his arm.<\/p>\n Watch every match of the<\/b> UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League<\/b> and<\/b> UEFA Europa Conference League<\/b> on Stan Sport. All the action streaming ad-free, live and on demand, with select matches in 4K UHD.<\/b><\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary.<\/i><\/b> Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nMost Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n
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