Messi Barcelona shirt fetches $66,107 at auction; Ronaldo Real Madrid jersey sells for $10,601
Lionel Messi's Barcelona match-worn shirt from his 91-goal season sold for 66,107 USD (Rs 56.4 lakh) at auction, while a Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid jersey from the same collection went for 10,601 USD (Rs 9.05 lakh), the items drawn from former Manchester United masseur Rod Thornley's personal archive and reported on 2026-08-21.
Thornley's collection comprised memorabilia from his time working with Manchester United's first team, and the two high-profile pieces carried distinct provenance: the Messi shirt was match-worn and is identified as his No.10 from a year in which he scored 91 goals, while the Ronaldo shirt was issued for a 2014-15 match and bore a personal message to Thornley. MatchWornShirt tweeted on August 12, 2026: "This is the kind of access you get when you're in the locker room – and masseur Rod Thornley was in Manchester United's for almost 20 pic.twitter.com/8Ivax1lZJP."
Thornley described how he obtained the Barcelona jersey, saying, "I messaged Gerard Pique a couple of days before the game and said, 'I never ask you for anything, but I need Messi's shirt from this one'." He said Pique led him into Barcelona's dressing room after the match, adding, "At the end of the game Gerard came into our dressing room, grabbed me, and walked me straight into theirs. Messi still had the shirt on his back."
According to Thornley's account, Messi removed the shirt, signed it and handed it directly to him: "He took it off, signed it to me while I sat there with him, and shook my hand. It was incredible." The auction catalogue noted the shirt was both match-worn and signed, and Thornley's narrative linked the item to encounters between Manchester United and Barcelona.
The Ronaldo jersey in the sale was described as a Real Madrid-issued shirt from the 2014-15 season that was not worn during the game, although it included a personal inscription to Thornley. The catalogue and report noted Thornley's prior working relationship with Ronaldo during the player's time at Manchester United as part of the item's provenance.
Other pieces from Thornley's archive also sold: a Ryan Giggs shirt from United's 4-0 Champions League win over Olympiacos in 2002 fetched 10,103 USD (Rs 8.62 lakh); a Paul Scholes match-issued shirt sold for 4,585 USD (Rs 3.91 lakh); a David Beckham match-prepared jersey went for 3,884 USD (Rs 3.32 lakh); Nicky Butt's shirt fetched 2,720 USD (Rs 2.32 lakh); and Gary Neville's sold for 1,758 USD (Rs 1.50 lakh).
The auction results placed Messi's Barcelona jersey well clear of the other lots: its final bid was more than six times higher than the amount paid for Ronaldo's Real Madrid shirt.
