Sculpture Symbolising England's Football Defeats Sold for $646,000

A granite monument with every defeat ever suffered by the England football team over 124 years engraved on it sold for $646,000 on Tuesday.

The gloomy sculpture by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold to an anonymous French-speaking bidder at a Sotheby's auction in London.

"Carved into it are all the defeats of England's national football team. I guess it's a piece which talks about pride, missed opportunities and death," said Cattelan.

Its list of defeats begins with England's 1874 2-1 defeat to Scotland, and spans infamous games such as the 1986 2-1 loss to Argentina, remembered for Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal.

Carved in 1999, the untitled artwork ends with Romania's 2-1 victory at the 1998 World Cup.

Its sale comes in the wake of one of England's worst ever performances in a World Cup in 2014, in which the team lost to Italy and Uruguay and crashed out without a single win.

Cattelan is known for humorous and satirical works, including one sculpture that shows Pope John Paul II struck by a meteorite.

His comment on England's footballing woes was sold at Sotheby's "Bear Witness" auction of a collection of 550 artworks that has so far raised $40 million.