25 Feb 2010Stanley Matthews' boots fetch over £38,000

Football Referees, Players, Managers and Media | Football Supporters News

A pair of football boots formerly owned by Sir Stanley Matthews have been sold for £38,400 at a sporting memorabilia auction.

The boots, which the England legend wore when playing for Blackpool in the 1953 FA Cup final, were expected to fetch no more than £8,000 at Bonhams in Chester.

Matthews' daughter Jean Gough told the BBC that she was "absolutely stunned" by the selling price.

"It is quite a tribute to my dad that someone would pay so much. I just hope whoever bought them might think of putting them in the football museum," she added.

The 1953 match is now commonly referred to as "the Matthews final", due to the inspired performance of the Stoke-born winger.

Matthews helped Blackpool to lift the FA Cup with a 4-3 victory over Bolton Wanderers, with Stan Mortensen scoring a hat-trick for the Tangerines.

The only footballer to have been knighted while still playing, Matthews died in 2000 at the age of 85.

Written by Mark Thompson

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