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Lionel Messi's 517 million Instagram followers see the arguable GOAT of soccer celebrating his one and only World Cup victory in his profile picture.
But fun fact: the World Cup trophy he is holding actually is not the real trophy.
In 2022, Messi and other members of the championship-winning Argentine team celebrated with a replica that is being put up for auction next week.
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Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Winner's Trophy after the team's victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on Dec. 18, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar. (Shaun Botterill/FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Jordan Richmond, founder of Richmond Auctions, said there was an extensive process to prove that the trophy, which is now in his possession, was actually the replica.
"The provenance we have on it is crazy. The consignor was in the front row of the stadium, so he has videos of the trophy — the replica trophy — leaving his hands onto the field, and then video of it making its way through all the players and being held. We’ve got really, really good photographic and video provenance on it. It also matches up if you want to zoom in and do that for yourself," Richmond told FOX Business in a recent interview.
"I had our graphic artist team do some photo analysis of what he was carrying versus ours, and there are some little details that match up perfectly. But the video evidence and provenance we have are amazing."
The consignor of the trophy, who is from Argentina, took the trophy to the final in Qatar after commissioning it, and it was simply meant to be just for personal show. However, according to Richmond, one of the players saw it in the stands and ran up with security and asked to use it for the celebrations.
Lionel Messi celebrates with fans and teammates after winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on Dec. 18, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar. (Michael Regan/FIFA via Getty Images)
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"Obviously, the customer gave it to them, and the rest is history," Richmond said. "It was passed around the field for 45 minutes to an hour. Almost all the players held it."
Richmond said that "all of the crazy Messi photos on the field are on him carrying this trophy," including the most-liked Instagram post of all time at over 74 million views.
The current bid is at $110,000, but Richmond is not too concerned about the final price.
"When I started this auction company, all my competitors did estimates. I’m a big believer that, in the collectible market, who are we to put a floor or a ceiling on any collectible? It really depends on who’s there that day," Richmond said.
"It’s really hard to say [what it will go for]. I think it could be priceless. But it’s hard for me to put a value on it when you see Messi stuff. They watched him sell six or seven jerseys that brought in $7 million or $8 million a year or two ago, and cards are insane. So, I really don’t know. I think it would be a disservice to put some kind of floor or ceiling on it."
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates victory with the trophy after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on Dec. 18, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar. (Marvin Ibo Guengoer/GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
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Messi played in his first World Cup in 2006 and originally said that his victory in 2022 would be his final, but he participated in the 2026 edition in the U.S. Argentina lost in the final to Spain, and it was the second time Messi had been a runner-up. Earlier this year, he retired from international competition.
The auction kicks off on Nov. 7.