'People have more money than sense': Singapore bidder paying $58k for signed Chelsea jersey draws shock

Buying sports jerseys — whether to proudly show your support for a club or as a collector's hobby — can be a pricey expense.

For example, an authentic football jersey from any major club, such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona or Real Madrid, can easily go up to the hundreds. 

But how much would you be willing to pay to get one, especially one that's been autographed?

For this person, it would seem that no amount is too much.

A jersey worn by Chelsea player Cole Palmer, which he wore in a Sept 28 home game against Brighton & Hove Albion, was listed on MatchWornShirt, an online site that auctions worn and signed jerseys for charity.

The attacking midfielder had become the first player in Premier League history to score four goals in the first half of a game.

The winning bidder for his jersey happened to be from Singapore, and they had snapped up this special football memorabilia for a cool US$45,164 (S$58,861).

For context, the exact jersey, bar Palmer's name and number on the back, can be bought online for under $200.

But given the Englishman's iconic performance while wearing said shirt, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Chelsea fans would want their hands on it.

A quick scroll through the recent bid history for the jersey showed the bidding starting on Sept 28 at $100, with the eventual winning bidder from Singapore first appearing on Oct 5 with a bidding price of $36,370.

The bidder eventually raised their bid to the final winning price of $45,164.

The bid history also showed another bidder from Singapore, whose highest bid came up to $30,000. 

There were also bidders from the US, Hong Kong, UK and Finland.

Apart from location, the details of the winning bidder have not been disclosed.

On the Chelseafc subreddit, netizens reacted to the exorbitant price the Singapore bidder paid for the football jersey.

"People have more money than sense," one Redditor commented.

A fellow netizen had a differing opinion and pointed out that the purchase was "hardly wasteful" given that the transaction ultimately goes to charity.

On its website, Matchwornshirt's website confirms that Chelsea will make a donation of net proceeds to the Chelsea FC Foundation. 

The official charity, affiliated to and supported by Chelsea Football Club, uses the sport to educate and inspire the community through sports coaching and other initiatives.

"To be fair, he set a record in it," another Reddit user said, in reference to Palmer's four goals against Brighton.

An ardent Chelsea fan wondered just how much the shirt would be valued at if the owner had held on to it until Palmer potentially "becomes a [Premier League] legend".

Since his move from Manchester City to Chelsea in 2023, Palmer has produced a number of eye-catching performances for the London-based team.

Chelsea supporters would fondly recall his hat-trick against rivals Manchester United in April.

A Reddit user asked: "I wonder how much his shirt from the day he scored a hat-trick against United would have gone for?"

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