Pelé’s jersey, Federer’s racket… a unique collection at auction in Paris

“My meeting with Pelé was exceptional, he jumped into my arms, we kissed.” Mr. G. received one of his last auriverde jerseys from the hands of the Brazilian legend, but will put it up for auction on Sunday in Neuilly-sur-Seine, like a hundred other emblematic objects.

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“All the football jerseys (collected), it’s a whole network that we set up with a journalist at Foot-Hebdo,” says this 78-year-old Swiss business manager, who wishes to remain anonymous, in an interview to the AFP. “He knew a lot of people, thanks to him I was able to meet Pelé when he came to Lausanne.”

The treasure chest

The flocked jersey of the No. 10 of the Seleçao is far from being its only nugget. In the treasure chest of this sports enthusiast, we also find a basketball signed by the Dream team 92, a racket from Roger Federer or even the WBA heavyweight belt won by Evander Holyfield at the expense of Mike Tyson in 1996, “undeniably” the most beautiful piece of jewelry he has ever acquired, according to him.

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The day he received the belt signed by the American boxer, Mr. G. was alone and could not contain his emotion. “It was at home, at my office in Lausanne. I had tears in my eyes,” he remembers.

It was the American trainer Lou Duva, also promoter of this fight, who agreed to offer him the belt for the duel which he had the chance to attend in Las Vegas. The icing on the cake: it was former champion Jake La Motta, played by Robert De Niro in the film “Raging Bull”, who sent him to Switzerland.

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A prestigious collection

Roger Federer’s racket, with which he won his third Wimbledon title in 2005, was “given to him by a friend” of the Swiss. Working within a large group in the employment sector “led him to sponsor many sporting events” and to build privileged relationships in the industry.

Enough to grow its prestigious collection, of which 162 lots put up for sale are estimated in total at more than 500,000 euros, according to the Aguttes house in charge of the sale, scheduled for Sunday in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

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Among the pieces expected to raise the stakes, far from inexpensive starting bids, is also a Michael Jordan jersey worn during the 1993-1994 season with the Chicago Bulls, signed by the star. There are others in football (Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Bobby Moore, Michel Platini), cycling (Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault) and even handball (Jackson Richardson)…

“A certain number of objects are very precious to me because they were given to me by friends dear to my heart. Some have disappeared like Erhard Loretan”, the third man to have climbed the 14 peaks of the Himalayas in more than 8,000 meters, which gave him an ice ax used during one of these ascents.

Combining passion and charitable actions

It was from the end of the 90s that Monsieur G began his collection. He then made sure to combine his passion with charitable actions. “We did a whole series of exhibitions (of objects) with free access, in large Swiss shopping centers, which made it possible to finance a foundation which helped children from disadvantaged families,” explains this former amateur of ice hockey.

Due to a lack of buyers and deploring that his children “prefer cash”, Mr. G., now retired, dissolved the institution in 2020 which had come to the aid of around a hundred Swiss families. The sale of his collection then became obvious.

After more than twenty years of conquests, he sometimes regrets not having managed to get his hands on a helmet of F1 legends Ayrton Senna or Michael Schumacher. But no matter, “at my age, the only apprehension is the future, not the past,” he says.

And then, if nostalgia comes to grip him, Mr. G. can always open the treasure chests reserved for his grandsons, into which he has slipped a few preserved nuggets, including a suit from the French rally driver Sébastien Loeb.