Pele to auction off entire awards collection in 'historic' sale

Football legend Pele is set to auction off his entire collection of awards and memorabilia accumulated during six decades in the game.

More than 2,000 items belonging to the three-time World Cup winner and Fifa Player of the Century will go under the hammer in London between June 7-9.

Items include Pele's 1977 North American Soccer League championship ring and his replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy, the original World Cup, which is worth an estimated £410,000.

The auction, which is handled by Beverly Hills-based Julien's Auctions, is expected to fetch between £1.5 million to £3 million.

However, Martin Nolan, executive director at Julien's Auctions, said the collection could make as much as £5 million.

The auction is expected to attract bids from around the world, including the US, South America, Europe, the Middle and the Far East.

Mr Nolan said the "historic" sale is probably the "biggest sports auction ever".

"It is just phenomenal to see such a vast collection from one man in one room," he said.

"[Pele] is 75 now, and this is his legacy - he wants to see these items all over the world in museums and in the hands of people who are going to cherish them and love them and appreciate them for many, many years to come."

Pele's three World Cup winners' medals are expected to fetch up to £140,000 each, while the ball with which he scored his 1,000th goal is predicted to reach around £40,000.

At the age of 17, Pele effectively won the 1958 World Cup for Brazil with a hat-trick in the semi-final against France and two goals in the final against host nation Sweden.

His life story was told in the recent biopic Birth of a Legend.