A summer of sport is in full swing, England hope to bring football home at the Euros, the world’s top tennis players have arrived at Wimbledon and Team GB are preparing for Paris.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that the nation is wearing more football shirts and sporting goods than ever before.
But this season’s jersey fails to satisfy many fashionistas, who instead spend hundreds, and in some cases thousands, on vintage football shirts.
eBay has revealed a 40 per cent increase in searches for “vintage football shirts” on the market.
The football shirt is the latest sports trend and stars such as Emma Raducanu have been seen sporting one as they arrive at Wimbledon this week.
With fans eager to support their local team and the nation also looking to get in on the action, eBay has seen searches for “football shirt” increase by more than 15 per cent in the run-up to the tournament.
Napoli’s 1990 shirt sells for £700. Pictured is SSC Napoli’s Antonio Careca in action during the Italian Serie A in 1990.
Another shirt selling for £500 is the 1989 Soviet Union shirt. Turkey’s Cuneyt (left) and USSR’s Oleg Protasov in action during a World Cup qualifier in Istanbul
The most valuable vintage football shirt on the market is Nike’s 2006-2008 Manchester United away shirt, according to Creditfix, with one selling for £1,851.
Elsewhereto Liverpool’s 1977/79 home shirt sold for £1,500, while Tottenham’s 1994/95 away shirt went for £872.
Kirsty Keoghan, eBay’s Global Managing Director for Fashion, said: “Support for the Euros has seen retro football shirts become increasingly popular, with people buying England shirts to show their support. Whether it’s a shirt worn by the Lionesses, the latest Euro style or a retro Umbro version from 1998, eBay offers the most in-demand used items – for a fraction of the price!”
Maxine McCreadie, personal finance expert at UK Debt Expert, said:
‘As Europe prepares for another summer of football mania, there’s no better time to turn your vintage jerseys into cash and win big on the wave of nostalgia for the games and tournaments of yesteryear.
‘As fans across the continent relive classic moments and celebrate their favourite teams, the shirts not only have sentimental value, but also provide the chance to earn some extra cash. Some fans may even make history by wearing historic gear, as both Scotland and England are vying to win the tournament for the first time.
A Manchester United away shirt from 2007 recently sold for £1,800. Ronaldo is pictured wearing it in 2007
| Country club | Year / Season | Price (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United – Away | 2007 | 1800 |
| Liverpool | 1977 | 1500 |
| Netherlands | 1988 | 900 |
| Tottenham – Away | 1994 | 874 |
| Naples | 1990 | 700 |
| Barcelona -Visitor | 1991 | 600 |
| Italy out | 1992 | 575 |
| England | 1970 | 525 |
| USA | 1994 | 500 |
| Soviet Union | 1989 | 500 |
| Romania | 1994 | 400 |
| Spain | 1966 | 400 |
| Ukraine | 2012 | 400 |
| Denmark | 1994 | 350 |
| Scotland | 1970 | 310 |
| England | 1982 | 300 |
| Portugal | 1999 | 300 |
| Croatia on a visit | nineteen ninety six | 280 |
‘To turn your wardrobe into a financial goal, be sure to look up similar items that have recently sold online to get an idea of how much you could earn, and explicitly mention any unique aspects of the jersey, such as player signatures, special edition details or specific historical significance.
‘Whether you’re looking to make a little extra cash or are just intrigued by the potential value of your old football shirts, it might be worth checking out their value online.
T-shirts from the 1990s and 2000s, considered ‘retro’, can now fetch hundreds of pounds.
Manchester-based Classic Football Shirts saw increased demand for its stock in the run-up to the Euros.
This Is Money was previously told that sales of classic international stocks are five times higher in June than in April. The teams that have sold the most have been England, Germany and Scotland, followed by Italy and France.
Tomas Jones, director of Vintage Football Shirts, said England shirts were “always popular in the run-up to a tournament” but there had been a sharp rise in sales of original vintage shirts, especially from the 1990s and 2000s.
England’s 1990-92 third shirt, on sale for £350-£450, was never worn at the 1990 World Cup but achieved legendary status thanks to the John Barnes-rapped song “World in Motion.”
The home shirts from the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 are currently the most popular.
“The main problem for us is getting enough England shirts to meet demand, which is always a challenge,” he said.
“We’ve managed to get a lot of original shirts from 2002 and 2004 so I expect them to sell very well as the tournament gets underway, provided England win some games.”
Some England shirts sold at Vintage Football Shirts cost between £300 and £450.
England’s 1990-92 third shirt, on sale for £350-£450, was never worn at the 1990 World Cup but achieved legendary status thanks to the John Barnes-rapped song “World in Motion.”
The England 1987-90 third shirt sells for a similar price, largely due to how rare it is, as England never wore it in a competitive or friendly match.
The 1988 Netherlands shirt is also a best-seller, selling for £900. Dutch footballer Marco van Basten with the trophy after the 1988 Euro final between the Soviet Union and the Netherlands
“We saw the shirt in the official England photo shoots so we know it was the official third shirt despite the lack of game time,” Jones said. “This rarity makes it a very valuable and difficult shirt to get.”
Another England third shirt, this time from 1992-93 featuring three large lions on the front, is worth between £300 and £400.
Jones said: “The shirt was only worn in two friendlies against Spain and Czechoslovakia, proving that you don’t need to win anything with a shirt for it to have value.”
Replica vintage shirts can often cost a few hundred pounds, but adding a big name like Gazza can push the price up even further.
The 1987-90 third shirt is rare and has never been worn in a competitive or friendly game.
The England 1996-97 Gaiscogne #8 away shirt costs between £300-£350 and is one of the most valuable replica England shirts out there.
Jones said: ‘The most iconic shirt of Euro 96, although they lost to Germany in the semi-final wearing that design, is the grey away shirt in which Gascoigne came close to putting England into the final and eventually lost to Germany on penalties again.’
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