Football Memorabilia that you love

[EIM]

When I was about 10 I really wanted the blue speckled United away shirt for Christmas. I didn't get it and so began almost three decades of sulking until, recently, I managed to get a brand spanking snide version off of the internet. Sadly, due to the tight fitting stylings of the early 90s, an irony given the shirt was clearly influenced by the Madchester "baggy" aesthetic, and also due to my aggressively spreading late 30s paunch, the shirt was a little too porno to wear.

Happily, however, it is not a wasted purchase. A friend of mine went to meet Brian McClair in the Briton's Protection recently, to get him to sort some stuff for a forthcoming event he's speaking at. He kindly took my shirt along with him and Brian McClair signed it

"To Chris
Sláinte
Brian McClair"

And he put a little smiley face on it for good measure.

This is now one of my favourite things I own. McClair wore this style shirt when scoring the winning goal in the 92 League Cup final. He also once kicked Winterburn up the hoop, in a moment of biblical righteousness. For a long time "Get in there, McClair" has been an exclamation of delight among our group, and I should probably put it on that thread over there somewhere.

The other item I love more than I should, is a Kenner Sportstars figure, still boxed, with collector card, of Bryan Robson.



I got steaming drunk one night and bought it, and I fucking love it. I used to have one as a kid, but in the England kit, and as we all know, England are a bunch of bastards, so to have him in United red is a thrill akin to that time I opened a pot noodle and found two sauce sachets. They do a Brian McClair an all, and I'll defo be buying one as soon as I'm brave enough to explain to the missus why I keep buying plastic likenesses of footballers off ebay.

WHAT ABOUT YOU LOT?

[Patrick Thistle]

I have a selection of commemorative scarves that all commemorate games that Shrewsbury lost. Some of them are half and half scarves.

I REGRET NOTHING

I also have some Corinthian figures and Lego type figures of Joe Hart.

AGAIN, I REGRET NOTHING

[Simon G]

I have Jamie Victory's match-worn testimonial shirt signed by the 1999 Conference winning team and the 2006 League 2 playoff winning team (the teams in Jamie's testimonial match).

I bought it in the auction at Jamie Victory's testimonial dinner - it cost me £360 after a bidding war with then Cheltenham manager John Ward. Luckily I was a 21 year old with literally no responsibilities at the time - 2/3 years later and the future Mrs G would have killed me on the spot - in fact she moans about the fact I paid that much for it now and I hadn't even met her at the time.

[Antepli Ejderha]

I love my USSR 1988 shirt.

[nmrfox]

1982 Northern Ireland World Cup jersey as worn by John O'Neill. Priceless.

[Sam]

I have a Rampla Juniors shirt that an Argentine with some sort of family connections to Uruguay who I met in the pub that is now my local gave me shortly after I moved here. We were talking about football, it came up in the conversation that of the Uruguayan clubs, Rampla were the one I liked most largely because I found their kit colours ridiculous (red and green stripes with no separation, so that when you look at the point where the colours touch your eyes go a bit funny), and he told me, 'A mate brought me over a Rampla shirt a couple of years ago, next time you're in here I'll bring it in and you can have it.' I told him no many times, and when he brought it in a couple of nights later I pointed out it was four fucking sizes too large for me, but he wasn't taking no for an answer. Still in my wardrobe now, eight years on. I've never worn it once. But if you go to Montevideo you can't even buy a Rampla shirt in the sports shops there, so it'll do.

Other than that not much, but I do sort of covet one of these from Copa, because Chemnitz have turned into 'my German team' as a result of the Football Manager save I started up with them ... um, I think five years ago last month. It's eighty fucking euros, though.

[Sam]

Alternatively, this, which would get far more use given that I live in a city where I have no real use for anything long-sleeved for about seven or eight months of the year. But again, it's not cheap.

[Crusoe]

I have a Lego minifigure of Zinedine Zidane.

[Snake Plissken]

I have a Lego minifigure of Zinedine Zidane.

[Crusoe]

Haha. More like this: https://images.brickset.com/sets/ima...g?201512021053

[JVL]

A Euro 96 Corinthians figure of Sir Les of Hayes:



In fact, I've got two of these, boxed and stored safely in amongst all the rest of the Hayes FC memorabilia. And VL jnr. is the proud slightly bewildered owner of one as well. His Sir Les regularly gets involved in attacks on the Lego pirate ship at bathtime.

[Benjm]

I've got a Playmobil Italian footballer who may or may not be modelled upon a well known midfielder

[Benjm]

His Sir Les regularly gets involved in attacks on the Lego pirate ship at bathtime.

Lego Blue Peter garden, surely?

[JVL]

I'd need the Dennis Wise figure as well to replicate that incident...

[Gangster Octopus]

A Wealdstone - Rotherham United mug, to remind me of the day when two parts of my life came together.

[Flynnie]

Sam, I can confirm Copa shirts are very, very high quality, if pricey. Much better than TOFFS. I have a 1950 USA one that got compliments when I used to wear it.

They do run a bit small is the only issue. Hence "used to wear it".

[Uros Predic]

I spent years looking for this classic hooped Doncaster Rovers shirt from the year I was born - the picture doesn't really do it justice; the lines on the edges of the red hoops are green (which I've always associated as our third colour, even if the club haven't).

I finally got hold of one about four years ago which was a size too small. And then a year later managed to track down one that actually fitted - so currently I have two. Though the smaller one is likely to go on eBay soon to help fund the Wales jaunt to Albania in November.

[Ray de Galles]

I think I might have found the worst piece of memorabilia ever :

[Benjm]

It's no Euro 2016 beret, that's for sure.

[Gangster Octopus]

I get:

Your organization's policy prohibits access to websites categorized as Adult/Sexually Explicit.

[ad hoc]

Seriously? I can't even work out why that might be

(It is a badly made enamel badge of (new) Wembley stadium with "The Church of Football" written underneath)

[Giggler]

Posted it on here but don't care. The Bury Times from the week after Bury won the Second Division championship in 1997, signed by the playing and management staff after I interviewed them all for my next book. To have that from my heroes when I was 16-years-old means an awful lot.

https://twitter.com/jamesisaburyfan/status/991914631194083328

[Ray de Galles]

It's no Euro 2016 beret, that's for sure.

Hey, that is a classic that I still wear on occasions. I would be scared to actually itemise every single piece of Euro 2016 memorabilia that I have but it includes three backpacks, at least two pieces of headgear, around thirty badges and at least one of these for all of the twelve matches I attended :

[Ray de Galles]

This is my favourite though (and I may have posted it up before) ; a shirt signed by the squad, my tickets for Wales games and some of my favourite photos (member of staff shown for scale).



It’s behind my desk at work (flanked by a Wales Rugby World Cup 2015 shirt signed by the squad and a Wales Commonwealth Cycling 2014 shirt signed by Geraint Thomas) and I still regularly go all misty-eyed remembering the best month of my life.

[Benjm]

Hey, that is a classic that I still wear on occasions. I would be scared to actually itemise every single piece of Euro 2016 memorabilia that I have but it includes three backpacks, at least two pieces of headgear, around thirty badges and at least one of these for all of the twelve matches I attended :

I particularly like the beret because it was an impact substitute after the online Albanian folk arts dealer I had put my trust in failed to come through with the fezes I was after for me and my brother-in-law.


I'm inexplicably fond of a 'Sakho 5' souvenir glass that came free with a KFC in Lille during the tournament. They must have been running short of stock by then.