World Cup: What happened to England's 1966 shirts?

England's 1966 World Cup triumph remains their sole triumph connected the top footballing stage. The enduring awesome of that triumph has travel to beryllium the elemental reddish shirts worn by those who made it connected to manager Alf Ramsey's squad sheet, but wherever are these "national treasures" now?

"Some radical are connected the pitch! They deliberation it's each over! It is now!"

BBC commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme's words rang retired connected TV sets crossed the federation arsenic Geoff Hurst fired the shot precocious into the West Germany net, ensuring England would assistance the Jules Rimet Trophy.

The 11 men who took to the Wembley turf had secured the country's top sporting success, their names to beryllium remembered by generations of shot fans.

Adorned with lone a crest and fig - and, successful somewhat of an irony, broadcast to 32.3 cardinal radical successful achromatic and achromatic - the scarlet shirts are arguably the astir recognisable awesome of that triumph and transportation a taste and monetary worth belying the modesty of their design. Sadly, not each survive.

"Half the squad swapped their shirts with the absorption and astir of those person ne'er been seen again," explains Jim Drewett, editorial manager of Vision Sports Publishing, which has conscionable released Three Lions connected a Shirt: The Official History of the England Football Jersey.

"At the clip players didn't see the worth they could person successful the future. It was a wholly antithetic world.

"As clip has gone on, they person go nationalist treasures. [Midfielder] Martin Peters said swapping his garment was the biggest regret of his life."

Goalkeeper Gordon Banks (who wore yellow) and defenders George Cohen and Ray Wilson besides exchanged jerseys with West German players - arsenic did guardant Roger Hunt and midfielder Bobby Charlton.

Decades later, Drewett says, Charlton asked his counterpart Uwe Seeler if his garment could beryllium returned lone to beryllium told it had been thrown away.

His member Jack, who died 2 years ago, is believed to person kept his, though his household were reluctant to sermon the substance erstwhile contacted by the BBC.

Another swap - this clip betwixt England team-mates - led to what whitethorn beryllium the astir antithetic communicative associated with the team's historical attire.

When midfielders Alan Ball and Nobby Stiles exchanged jerseys during the thigh of honour, no-one would person expected Stiles's garment to marque its mode into the model show of a Bolton tv shop.

Ball, the book's authors say, returned from vacation to find his mum had washed the keepsake. When the adjacent World Cup began successful Mexico, successful 1970, Ball's parents loaned it successful instrumentality for a caller TV acceptable which allowed them to ticker their lad play successful colour.

"That's my favourite communicative of all," says Drewett. "I'd emotion to find a photograph of Nobby's garment sitting successful the store window."

By 2010 it was nary longer successful the Ball family's possession and made its mode to auction wherever it sold for £75,000.

The antheral who purchased it was Nigel Wray, erstwhile proprietor of Saracens Rugby Club. It was not his archetypal '66 last shirt, though. Nor would it beryllium his last.

In 2006, helium had secured Cohen's jersey for £38,400 erstwhile it was auctioned by the household of the precocious German subordinate Lothar Emmerich.

A decennary later, helium bought hat-trick leader Hurst's fig 10 apical via a backstage pact erstwhile it failed to scope its £300,000 reserve astatine Sotheby's. The jersey had initially been sold by the striker successful 2000 for a then-record £91,750.

Entrepreneur Wray believes helium has "the 3 most-important" '66 last shirts.

"Well, I would accidental that, wouldn't I?" helium chuckles. "Items go iconic implicit clip erstwhile determination is simply a communicative attached them. The communicative brings them to life.

"Geoff Hurst's garment speaks for itself and Nobby Stiles's goes with his jersey from Manchester United's 1968 European Cup last triumph erstwhile they became the archetypal English broadside to triumph it.

"The Cohen garment I find singular arsenic I've besides got his nephew Ben Cohen's from the 2003 rugby national World Cup final. Two Englishmen from the aforesaid household winning World Cups. Amazing. I don't judge it volition beryllium done again."

The archetypal '66 last match-worn garment to spell nether the hammer had been Hunt's which, having been swapped with Wolfgang Weber, sold successful 1999 for £17,250.

The astir caller - Ball's - came conscionable past week.

Having changed hands for £51,750 successful 2010 erstwhile Stiles auctioned his memorabilia, it came connected to the marketplace erstwhile much and was purchased for £130,000 positive fees by an undisclosed buyer.

While acknowledging midfielder Ball was a large of the game, Wray did not bid: "How galore '66 shirts bash you need?!"

With truthful galore of the surviving shirts nary longer owned by the players who wore them, is determination immoderate consciousness they person missed retired arsenic prices successful the memorabilia marketplace roar - and should the Football Association not person tried to bargain them?

An interrogation petition sent to Sir Geoff Hurst's representatives went unanswered, portion the FA declined to remark connected whether it had immoderate involvement successful doing so.

For his part, Wray is adamant the shirts should not beryllium hidden away. The trio successful his possession signifier portion of his staggering Priory Collection, which helium describes arsenic featuring "Britain's large sporting moments".

One of the largest hauls of its benignant successful the world, WG Grace's past cricket bat sits alongside Olympic torches from each games since 1936 and Henry Cooper's boxing gloves from erstwhile helium became the archetypal antheral to level Muhammad Ali.

Cohen's jersey is displayed astatine Saracens' StoneX Stadium successful westbound London on with that of his nephew, portion Hurst's garment is connected indebtedness to Manchester's National Football Museum.

"It would beryllium wholly pointless if I stuffed the full batch successful my cupboard," Wray says. "All the large worldly is retired determination [on show].

"You often perceive 'what a shame these guys person to sell'. I accidental if you've got 3 children, similar Nobby Stiles, past what bash you do? You can't chopped a garment into three. It indispensable beryllium hard for players."

Also proudly among his postulation is the garment Bobby Moore wore successful 1970 arsenic the defending champions took connected Brazil.

After a show often hailed arsenic the top by immoderate England player, the skipper famously embraced Pele arsenic they swapped jerseys.

Now, tobacco-stained pursuing decades seemingly hanging successful a Brazilian bar, it is connected amusement astatine Saracens' ground.

Where, though, is the apical the England skipper wore astatine Wembley 4 years earlier?

Three Lions co-author Daren Burney, who counts much than 1,800 shirts successful his idiosyncratic postulation including Martin Peters' spare from the final, describes it arsenic a "mystery".

Moore's back-up was auctioned by the widow of squad trainer Harold Shepherdson successful 1999 for £44,000, but the destiny of the match-worn garment is unknown.

When the defender's widow, Tina, sold his postulation of medals and trophies to his erstwhile nine West Ham United successful 2000, the 1966 last garment was not among them.

"It's adjacent intolerable to enactment a worth connected what it would beryllium worth," Burney says aft a heavy breath. "Him holding the trophy is astir apt the astir iconic photograph successful British sporting history.

"Bobby was considered to beryllium a lovely, generous man. He would springiness everybody his kits oregon memorabilia, truthful there's each likelihood helium could've passed it connected to someone.

"Hopefully, it's inactive retired determination somewhere."