Playing football with the skill of Lionel Messi – one of the greatest stars of all time – may be a distant dream but you can at least wear his shirt.
A football top issued to the Argentinian, who captains his national side as well as Spanish team Barcelona, is one of a large collection of match-worn or match-issued shirts for sale at Derbyshire’s Hansons Auctioneers on Friday, November 23.
Messi’s Argentina shirt, issued when his home country played Iran in the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil, has an estimate of £600-£800. And the match will bring back fond memories for Messi. He scored the winning goal in stoppage time to help Argentina beat Iran 1-0.
The shirt is part of a single-owner private collection which also includes a Carlos Tevez 2018 World Cup qualifying Argentina shirt, estimate £300-400. He has pulled on his boots for Manchester United, Manchester City and West Ham.
Another item which could get football fans battling to bid is a Luis Suárez Uruguay World Cup Brazil 2014 shirt, estimate £200-£300. The striker for Spanish club Barcelona is regarded as one of the best players in the world.
Meanwhile, if you’re a Manchester City fan, a Barclays Premier League match-worn Yaya Touré glow-in-the-dark shirt may appeal. Yaya plays for Superleague Greece club Olympiacos but in the past he’s turned on his magic for the Sky Blues, helping them win their first league title in 44 years. His shirt has an estimate of £60-£80.
Alistair Lofley, sports valuer at Hansons in Etwall, near Derby, said: “This is a rare opportunity to buy a shirt that belongs to one of your football heroes.
“Manchester City shirts make up almost half of the collection with Samir Nasri, Gareth Barry, Gael Clichy, Stevan Jovetić, Abdul Razak, Aleksandar Kolarov, Micah Richards, James Milner and Emmanuel Adebayor represented among others. Estimates for these range from £70-£90.
“Some are autographed such as a Wigan Athletic Emmerson Boyce shirt issued for an FA Cup semi-final match against Arsenal. We also have signed match-worn West Bromwich Albion shirts for James Morrison and James Chester and a signed Jack Rodwell Manchester City shirt.”
Also in the collection, is a Phil Bardsley Stoke City shirt, a Bolton Wanderers Mark Davies shirt, a signed Jason Koumas Wigan Athletic shirt and a Darlington, Rob Purdie, 125th anniversary home shirt signed by the full Darlington Squad and match-worn.
“Most of the shirts are pretty affordable with guide prices starting from as little as £40-£50 for a Reading Brynjar Gunnarsson match-worn shirt. If you know someone who loves football, you could score a winner by bagging the ultimate Christmas present for them.”
The football shirts will be sold in a Sports Memorabilia Auction at Hansons Auctioneers, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, on Friday, November 23. To find out more, email [email protected] or view the catalogue at www.the-saleroom.com.
