Ex-England star Viv Anderson's touching motive for selling his memorabilia (original) (raw)
Ex-England star Viv Anderson sells off his football memorabilia for touching reason
Viv Anderson - England's first black footballer - is flogging his shirt, cap and tracksuit from his historic debut against Czechoslovakia in 1978 among 120 treasured mementos
Ex-Nottingham Forest star Viv Anderson is selling his shirt collection and football mementos for as much £150,000
Trailblazing ex-England ace Viv Anderson is selling a hoard of his prized mementos for £150,000 - to set his children up for the future.
Viv - the Three Lions' first black footballer - is flogging his debut England shirt, cap and tracksuit from his historic debut against Czechoslovakia in 1978. Viv wore the number two shirt as he lined up at right back in the game at Wembley which England won 1-0.
Now aged 68, Viv plans to give the proceeds from the 120-lot sale to his children to set them up for the future. And he wants the items to be shared around the world for fans to enjoy while marking Black History Month in October.
Viv secured 30 England caps during his illustrious international career (
Image:
Offside via Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest legend Viv said: "All I've ever wanted to do is play football. I've worked hard, had a great career and I'm glad to have inspired people along the way. The time has come to sell some of the wonderful memories of my time as a professional footballer- I'd like to see my family benefit, and I hope some of the items will be shared around the world for people to enjoy."
The iconic Admiral England shirt, which has a v-neck collar, an embroidered Three Lions badge and is still covered in grass stains, could fetch £50,000 alone. His England cap from the same game is valued at £10,000 while his Admiral tracksuit could fetch £2,000.
Viv played for Nottingham Forest for 10 years and won the European Cup in 1980 when the English side beat Hamburg. He is parting with his winner's medal which is estimated at £15,000. His 1978 Division 1 League Championship plaque is expected to fetch £5,000.
The highlight of Viv's 120-lot sale include his debut England shirt (
Image:
Graham Budd Auctions/BNPS)
Viv's Manchester United match worn short-sleeved shirt from the 1990-91 season (
Image:
Graham Budd Auctions/BNPS)
Viv moved to Arsenal in 1984 and his Arsenal shirt from their 1987 Littlewoods Cup final win over Liverpool is set to make £3,000. He became Sir Alex Ferguson's first signing for manchester-united-fc>Manchester United in 1987 and rounded off his career with stints at Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Middlesbrough.
Viv said: "When I joined Manchester United from Arsenal in 1987, my teammate and friend Norman Whiteside said to me one day, that we both have records beside our names, his being (to date), the youngest player ever to play in the World Cup at the age of 17 beating Pele's record. Mine for being the first black full international footballer.
"He said to me that day, 'I would prefer to have your record than mine'. I said, 'Why?' He said because one day who knows when my record will be beaten, yours can never be beaten. It is a piece of history that nobody can ever beat. I never thought of it like that, but he was correct."
Viv moved to Arsenal in 1984 and his Arsenal shirt from their 1987 Littlewoods Cup final win over Liverpool is set to make £3,000. His number two United home shirt from the 1990/91 season and his United tracksuit from the 1990 FA Cup final are both valued at £1,500.
His 9ct gold Division 1 League Championship winners medal for Middlesborough for the 1994-95 season is tipped to go for £2,000. Viv, who represented his country 30 times between 1978 and 1988 and retired from the game in 1995, is also selling his England shirts he wore at the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups.
Other shirts he swapped with fellow internationals that are being sold include an iconic orange Holland top from the 1988 European Championships and a Barcalona jersey from 1983.
Viv Anderson's England cap from his first game is valued at £10,000 (
Image:
Graham Budd Auctions/BNPS)
A Graham Budd spokesperson said: "Viv Anderson's versatility and defensive prowess brought him to the attention of Nottingham Forest and he signed with the club in 1974, breaking into the first team in his debut season.
"He spent 10 years with the club winning back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980 as well as the Division 1 League Championship, League Cup, European Super Cup medals. It was with Forest when he was picked for England duty and as such the call up became a significant event in the annals of English football history.
Viv with his astonishing shirt collection that is up for auction and could fetch up to £150,000 (
Image:
GrahamBuddAuctions/BNPS)
"On the day of the Wembley match he received telegrams from the Queen and Sir Elton John congratulating him on the achievement. He went on to make a further 29 International appearances for England scoring two goals along the way.
"He remains an influential figure and without doubt his international appearance was a watershed moment for black players in England."
The sale is being held on October 1 at auctioneers Graham Budd, of Wellingborough, Northampton.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £216 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
With Ultra HD included at no extra cost, football fans can enjoy the 2024/25 season with crystal clear picture quality.