Baseball legend Babe Ruth jersey sells for record $5.64m at auction

A jersey worn by legendary baseball player Babe Ruth has become the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold.

The garment was snapped up for $5.64m (£4.4m) at auction in New York on Saturday.

It broke the previous record of $4.4m which was set in 2012 - also for one of Ruth's New York Yankees jerseys.

The shirt dates from the 1928-1930 period of Ruth's long career, in which he became an early sporting superstar, the BBC reported.

"The legacy and significance of Babe Ruth to the game of baseball and American popular culture is unmatched by any other figure in the history of this country," the president of Hunt Auctions, David Hunt, said in a statement.

He added: "While the record-setting prices attained today are certainly astonishing, I am not surprised at all given the incredible materials and the mythical status the Babe holds in the history of this country."

The record-breaking jersey was one of 400 pieces of Ruth memorabilia supplied by his family and private collectors and put up for sale at the Yankee Stadium.

The identity of the seller and the buyer have not been made public.

Ruth played for 22 seasons in Major League Baseball and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history.

He won seven World Series and broke numerous records during his career, before eventually retiring in 1935.