Messi and Ronaldo shirts from same collection go head-to-head at auction, with one selling for six times more

A Lionel Messi shirt from his Barcelona days has sold for £48,608 ($66,107) at auction, comfortably exceeding the price paid for a Cristiano Ronaldo shirt sold from the same collection.The Messi shirt was worn during Barcelona’s 0-0 pre-season friendly against Manchester United in August 2012 before being signed by the Argentine for former United masseur Rod Thornley.The Ronaldo shirt, meanwhile, was a match-issued Real Madrid jersey from the 2014-15 season and sold for £7,795 ($10,601).

How Rod Thornley got Messi’s shirt

The shirt was part of the Rod Thornley Collection, auctioned through MatchWornShirt.Thornley spent years working inside Manchester United’s dressing room after moving into sports massage following his time as a footballer. He had previously played as a striker for Altrincham and is the younger brother of Ben Thornley, a member of Manchester United’s famed Class of 92.His route into the club began when he was working as a lifeguard at a local leisure centre and was called upon at United’s Carrington training ground. He subsequently trained as a masseur and spent years working alongside some of the biggest names in football.That position also allowed Thornley to build a collection of shirts and other memorabilia from his time around the club.The Messi shirt had a particularly personal story behind it.Thornley contacted former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué before the 2012 friendly and asked for Messi’s shirt.“I messaged Gerard Pique a couple of days before the game and said, ‘I never ask you for anything, but I need Messi’s shirt from this one’.”After the match, Piqué came into the Manchester United dressing room and took Thornley into Barcelona’s.“At the end of the game Gerard came into our dressing room, grabbed me, and walked me straight into theirs. Messi still had the shirt on his back.”Messi then removed the shirt, signed it for Thornley and shook his hand.“He took it off, signed it to me while I sat there with him, and shook my hand. It was incredible.”

Messi shirt more than six times the price of Ronaldo’s

The auction also included a Cristiano Ronaldo match-issued shirt from his Real Madrid career.It sold for £7,795 ($10,601), more than six times less than Messi’s shirt. Unlike Messi’s jersey, the Ronaldo shirt was prepared for the game but not worn by the player, although it may have traces of use from warm-ups. It also carries a personal message to Rod Thornley, Manchester United’s long-time masseur and a key member of Sir Alex Ferguson’s backroom staff during Ronaldo’s time at the club.The collection’s other Manchester United items also attracted substantial bids.

The other famous Manchester United shirt

Among the collection was also a Ryan Giggs shirt from one of Manchester United’s memorable European nights.United wore their blue third kit against Olympiacos in the 2002 Champions League after referee Gilles Veissiere deemed the Greek club’s black-and-red strip too similar to United’s traditional red.The change did little to affect United on the night. They won 4-0, with Giggs scoring twice, and his match-worn shirt later sold for £7,429 ($10,103).Thornley had previously collected and auctioned shirts connected to other United greats, including Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville.But none of those items came close to the price achieved by the Barcelona shirt Messi wore against United in 2012 — a shirt that Thornley obtained directly from the player after asking Piqué for the favour.