The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was headline-grabbing for lots of reasons - both positive and negative - but there’s no doubt the final was as exciting as they come.
With that in mind, and with the fixture resulting in Lionel Messi finally conquering the global game on the international scene, a ball used in that match was always bound to do well should it go on sale at auction.
This example of the gold-tinted “Al Hilm” (“The Dream”) creation that was used in the last four games of the tournament - including that epic showpiece between Argentina and France - did exactly that, after being won by the seller in a raffle, eventually making a hammer price of £140,000.
This item was sold by Graham Budd Auctions, a specialist in sporting memorabilia.
