Sir Bobby Charlton's England shirt from the 1966 World Cup semi-final is set to be auctioned off
Sir Bobby Charlton's England shirt from the 1966 World Cup semi-final is set be auctioned later this month.
The shirt, put up for auction before Sir Bobby's death, will be sold by Derbyshire-based Hansons Auctioneers with a guide price of £50,000 - £80,000 on 14 November.
The football icon died aged 86 on 21 October, since then the sporting world have paid tribute to his impact on world football.
The signed England shirt was worn by Sir Bobby when he went on to scored a brace against Portugal in a 2-1 win at Wembley in front of 94,000 fans, on 26 July 1966.
England went onto beat West Germany in the World Cup final.
David Wilson-Turner, head of sports memorabilia at Hansons, believes England "has some of the most passionate football fans in the world" and hopes that many fans would like to own Sir Bobby's shirt.
He said: “It deserves to excel because not only was it worn by one of the greatest England players of all time, it marks a magical moment in sporting history, the one and only time England have won the World Cup.
“England’s epic 4-2 victory over West Germany took place 57 years ago. Nevertheless, fans constantly reminisce about 1966, the year England was recognised as the best footballing nation in the world.
“The shirt was originally donated by Sir Bobby to a charity auction after the 1966 World Cup.
“He autographed it, personally dedicated it to the successful bidder and confirmed he wore the shirt in the game against Portugal.
“In 2022, Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God shirt’, worn to score a goal for Argentina against England at the 1986 World Cup, sold for a record £7.1 million.
“That was the highest price ever paid for a piece of sports memorabilia. In honour of Sir Bobby’s passing it would be wonderful to see his number nine shirt exceed all expectations.
“Hopefully we can give this item the justice it deserves.”
Sir Bobby is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, winning the World Cup, the European Cup – now the Champions League – the First Division, FA Cup and the Ballon d’Or, among many other titles.
In a stellar domestic and international career, he earned 106 England caps and scored 49 goals, the latter being the all-time record from 1970 until 2015.
His 1966 semi-final shirt was bought by a West Midlands man who won the Littlewoods Pools in the early 1990s, Hansons said.
It was bought for £9,200 – equivalent to about £20,000 today – at a London auction in 2000, where it had an estimate of between £10,000-15,000.
It was offered up for this month’s auction a year ago.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said he anticipates bids reaching £100,000.
He said: “News of (Sir Bobby’s) loss came as a huge shock to us all. We were deeply saddened. He was a football legend admired by millions.
“This was the shirt worn by an iconic player whose goals put England into the World Cup final and beat Eusebio’s Portugal.
“It’s a tribute, it’s a memory and Sir Bobby’s legacy will live on.
“I hope it’s bought by the National Football Museum and put on permanent display or, perhaps, Manchester United.
“It’s an ever-present reminder of what Sir Bobby did for his country.”