The most iconic England football shirt in history has failed to find a buyer at auction. The jersey was worn by Geoff Hurst when he scored a hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany.
The long-sleeved red cotton shirt with the number 10 on the back was valued at between 300,000 pounds (355,000 euros) and 500,000 pounds but fell short of the reserve price at Sotheby’s in London.
“The shirt is a hugely important and valuable piece of footballing history and it generated a great deal of interest ahead of the sale,” a Sotheby’s spokeswoman said.
“Though widely admired in the month’s preceding today’s auction, and despite having seen bidding in the salesroom, the shirt faled to reach its reserve price so unfortunately did not find a buyer today,” she added.
Hurst was instrumental in England’s first, and so far only, major tournament triumph after coming into the side to replace the injured Jimmy Greaves.
Immortal line
His third goal at Wembley stadium, and England’s fourth, prompted the immortal line from commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme: “Some people are on the pitch. They think it’s all over. It is now. It’s four!”
The shirt is believed to have been first auctioned at Christie’s in 2000, when it was sold to a private collector for 91,750 pounds.
It was then bought in 2008 by property investor Andrew Leslau for an undisclosed sum on behalf of international investors.
Leslau insured the shirt for 1 million pounds, calling it “the most important shirt in English football history”.
AFP/idr
