Sir Geoff Hurst’s 1966 World Cup final England jersey is headed for auction at Sotheby’s next month, on the 50th anniversary of the historic victory.
The iconic, game-worn red jersey is one of the country’s most treasured items of football memorabilia, and is expected to sell for £300,000-£500,000.
On July 30, 1966, Hurst became the first and only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, as England beat West Germany 4-2 in front of a packed house at Wembley Stadium.
An estimated 400 million people around the world watched the game, as Hurst clinched victory for England with two goals in extra-time. His third goal was immortalized by BBC football commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme, who uttered the famous lines:
"Here comes Hurst…Some people are on the pitch. They think it’s all over…it is now!"
Medals and memorabilia from England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team have achieved impressive prices at auction in recent years.
Notable sales include Nobby Stiles’ winner’s medal, which sold in 2010 for £188,200, Alan Ball’s medal which realized £164,800 back in 2005, and goalkeeper Gordon Banks’ medal which fetched £124,750 in 2001.
However, Hurst’s game-worn jersey is regarded as perhaps the ultimate item from one of the most famous moments in English sporting history.
"The 1966 World Cup Final is deeply embedded in the folk-memory of the English nation, vividly recalled as a rare moment of pure joy and uncomplicated triumph," said Sotheby’s specialist Gabriel Heaton.
"Half a century on, the immense importance of this match to the English game and nation is being underlined once again with the extensive commemorations of the match’s fiftieth anniversary.
"This shirt, worn by the match’s star player, is the most significant obtainable artefact relating to this historic match. It represents a legendary moment in the annals of English football, and a sporting achievement that has never been repeated in half a century."
The jersey will cross the block at Sotheby’s in London, as part of the English Literature, History and Children’s Books sale on July 12.
