World Cup final ball could be sold for £200,000 in an auction
The 2022 World Cup final ball could be sold for £200,000 after its mysterious owner picked it up for NOTHING after winning it in a match and decided to auction it off
- Argentina defeated France on penalties in the World Cup final after a gripping duel
- An unknown person won the ball of the final in an online competition
- They have decided to auction it, with the ball expected to fetch £200,000
The ball from last year’s World Cup final will be auctioned in June and can sell for as much as £200,000.
The showpiece of the Qatar 2022 tournament was one of the greatest finals of all time as Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in a blood-curdling clash.
Lionel Scaloni’s side were cruising after racing to a two-goal lead in the first half before Kylian Mbappe inspired France to fight back by scoring twice in a minute to take the tie to extra time.
He then scored a penalty in the 118th minute to complete his hat-trick and tie the game at 3–3 after Lionel Messi put Argentina ahead 3–2. La Albiceleste triumphed on penalties after some heroics from Golden Glove winner Emi Martinez.
Argentina’s third World Cup win helped cement Messi’s reputation as one of the greats of the game and the official match ball from the final will now be available for members of the public to bid on.
The ball of the World Cup final goes under the hammer and will be auctioned in June
It is expected to sell for a huge sum somewhere between £160,000 and £200,000
It will go under the hammer in June, courtesy of Graham Budd Auctions.
The ball was hailed as one of the largest in the history of the tournament and a lucky winner from abroad won it in a ‘Win The Match Ball’ competition organized by Adidas after the final.
They have since decided to resell it at a sports memorabilia auction on June 6 and 7.
This auction will take place online at the Northampton auction house and has already attracted interest from around the world, with the ball expected to reach between £160,000 and £200,000.
The lucky winner remains anonymous, but explained how he could hardly believe his luck when he found out he had won the ball.
Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi shone in the final and wrote their names in the history books
One lucky person won the game ball in an online competition and decided to auction it off
He explained: ‘I entered the contest without really thinking about it, but when I heard I had won I really thought it was a scam.
“I still thought it couldn’t be legit, even when the ball arrived. It’s an incredible story to be a part of, and the money it will hopefully bring in will be truly life-changing.”
David Convery, head of sports memorabilia at Graham Budd Auctions, added: ‘This Adidas football is a fascinating and important piece of recent football history, especially when you consider the controversy surrounding the tournament itself, in addition to what it did for the reputation of players like Messi and Mbappé.
“Importantly, from a collector’s perspective, it has the best possible paper trail. The ball is fully authenticated and we can trace every part of its journey to date. That is one of the reasons why we are confident that it will reach or even exceed its estimated price.”