The England shirt worn by legendary footballer Sir Bobby Charlton in the 1966 World Cup semi-final has realised £59,040 at an online auction.
The iconic number 9 shirt was autographed by Charlton. He wore it while scoring both goals as England beat Portugal 2-1 in the World Cup semi final on 26 July 1966.
1966 coverage of Sir Bobby Charlton as England headed to their only FIFA World Cup win.
England then beat West Germany 4-2 in the final, lifting the Jules Rimet trophy for the first and only time in the nation’s history.
The shirt was sold by a Derbyshire auction house private international bidder who has not been named.
Sir Bobby passed away last month, aged 86. His funeral took place at Manchester Cathedral on Monday.
The service was attended by dozens of figures from the world of football, and thousands lined the streets as the cortège processed from Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium to the city’s cathedral.
Charlton is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He made 106 England appearances, scoring 49 goals.
At club level, the Manchester United legend played 758 games for the Red Devils, scoring 249 goals across a 17-year career.
He survived the 1958 Munich Air Disaster that killed many of the Busby Babes team built by Sir Matt Busby. Charlton was at the heart of the team that Busby built after the tragedy, scoring twice as they triumphed in the 1968 European Cup Final.
Sir Bobby died after a fall at a care home in Cheshire last month, an inquest has heard.
The shirt was sold by its owner, from the West Midlands, who had bought it in 2000 with the proceeds of a Littlewoods Pools win. The shirt cost him £9,200.
It is an unavoidable fact of collecting that death usually increases the interest in and prices of memorabilia associated with celebrities who pass away.
