US firm to auction rare soccer memorabilia

Miami, May 12 (IANS) Roughly 200 objects associated with soccer greats such as Pele and Diego Maradona will be auctioned online on June 30, Futbolasta CEO Ariel Gonzalez said.

The items, which include jerseys, pennants, medals, trophies, balls and cleats - all of which have a certificate of authenticity - will be on display until June 28 at the company's Miami Beach showroom, reports Efe.

Organised in chronological order, the auction will begin with the oldest known original team jersey, a silk garment used by Uruguay's Club Nacional de Montevideo between 1904 and 1909 that is expected to fetch as much as $15,000.

The final item will be the uniform Lionel Messi wore competing for Argentina two years ago in the centennial edition of the Copa America tournament.

Gonzalez highlighted a "very interesting" item: the jersey Brazil's Pele wore during friendlies prior to the 1962 World Cup in Chile.

"It's the first one to ever display a sponsor before a World Cup," said the founder of Futbolasta to Efe on Friday. 

"Cafe do Brasil was the sponsor," he added.

The collection also includes the Mexican national team jersey worn during the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and the Adidas-made jersey Maradona wore during a 1979 match.