A trio of footballs signed by over 100 of the greatest players of all time – as chosen by Pele – are being auctioned for charity.
And the star-studded lot could achieve as much as £15,000 when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers on February 15.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons, said: “In 2004, to celebrate FIFA’s Centenary, Pele was asked to choose 100 of the world’s best players and these three footballs were signed by 126 legends of the game including Pele himself.
“It’s a Who’s Who of football. This remarkable lot pays homage to some of the finest sportsmen the game has even known, players whose skills have thrilled football fans the world over from the 1950s onwards.
“For example, Bobby Charlton’s name is there, a man who signed amateur forms with Manchester United at the age of 15 in 1953 and went on to play in England’s victorious World Cup-winning side in 1966.
“Other English and Irish greats include George Best and David Beckham but this is a celebration of world football. Think of a top star from any football-loving nation and he’s probably signed one of the balls.
“Other big names include Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Cafu, Franz Beckenbauer, Ferenc Puskas, Gerd Muller, Johan Cruyff, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Alfredo Di Stefano and Gianluigi Buffon. It’s just incredible. It’s probably the ultimate piece of football memorabilia for any fan.
“The balls were originally auctioned by Christie’s at the FIFA Centenary Gala in the presence of Pele himself. They have been kindly donated by Martin Hughes in support of a charity called the London Playing Fields Foundation
A spokesperson for the Playing Fields Foundation said: “These balls are a significant piece of never-to-be-repeated footballing memorabilia as they contain the names of a number of football icons, some of whom are sadly are no longer with us.
“All monies raised will be used to help the London Playing Fields Foundation in its mission to improve lives through more people playing sport and being physically active on accessible, affordable and attractive playing fields. We are incredibly grateful for this wonderful donation to our cause.”
The star-studded footballs, lot 29, will be offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ Football and Sports Memorabilia Auction on February 15, 2023 with a guide price of £12,000-£15,000.
To find out more, contact Hansons’ Head of Sports Memorabilia David Wilson-Turner: [email protected].
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FOOTBALL & SPORTS MEMORABLIA CATALOGUE
All the names on the signed footballs
Gabriel Batistuta, Hernan Crespo, Alfredo Di Stefano, Mario Kempes, Diego Maradona, Daniel Passarella, Javier Saviola, Omar Sivori, Juan Sebastian Veron, Javier Zanetti, Jan Ceulemans, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Franky Van der Elst, Carlos Alberto, Cafu, Falcao, Pele, Junior, Rivaldo, Rivelino, Roberto Carlos, Romario, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Djalma Santos, Nilton Santos, Socrates, Zico, Hristo Stoichkov, Roger Milla, Elias Figueroa, Ivan Zamorano, Carlos Valderrama, Davor Suker, Josef Masopust, Pavel Nedved, Brian Laudrup, Michael Laudrup, Peter Schmeichel, Gordon Banks, David Beckham, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, Gary Lineker, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, Just Fontaine, Thierry Henry, Raymond Kopa, Jean-Pierre Papin, Robert Pires, Michel Platini, Lilian Thuram, Marius Tresor, David Trezeguet, Patrick Vieira, Zinedine Zidane, Michael Ballack, Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, Oliver Kahn, Jurgen Klinsmann, Sepp Maier, Lothar Matthaus, Gerd Muller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uwe Seeler, Abedi Pele, Ferenc Puskas, Roberto Baggio, Franco Baresi, Giuseppe Bergomi, Giampiero Boniperti, Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero, Giacinto Facchetti, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Gianni Rivera, Paolo Rossi, Francesco Totti, Christian Vieri, Dino Zoff, Hidetoshi Nakata, George Weah, Hugo Sanchez, Marco Van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, Johan Cruyff, Edgar Davids, Ruud Gullit, Rene van de Kerkhof, Willy van de Kerkhof, Patrick Kluivert, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Rob Rensenbrink, Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf, Jay-Jay Okocha, George Best, Romerito, Teofilo Cubillas, Zbigniew Boniek, Eusebio, Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Roy Keane, Gheorghe Hagi, Rinat Dasayev, Kenny Dalglish, El Hadji Diouf, Hong Myung-bo, Emilio Butragueno, Luis Enrique, Raul, Rustu Recber, Emre Belogozlu, Andriy Shevchenko, Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm and Enzo Francescoli.
