The George Best Aston Villa Shirt is Up for Auction

Best Shirt

If there was ever one football shirt I’d want to own, it would be the one worn by George Best when he played for Aston Villa in a one-off friendly match in 1985. You see while I was a Villa fan, my father was a big-time United fan who used to worship George Best from the Stretford End in the 1960’s. Later on in life he would force feed me George Best videos and DVD clips until I would comatose.

A further significance of the shirt is the match that Best played in Villa colours was a fund-raiser for the victims of the Bradford City stadium blaze on May 11, 1985. Bradford’s opponents that day were Lincoln City, and both my dad and I were born and bred Imps. Two Lincoln fans lost their lives that day along with 54 Bradford supporters.

If only I hadn’t been spending many, many hours in the last few years running a Villa supporter website, I might have had a spare couple of grand to bid on the shirt! Still, lets hope it goes to a good home.

Fellows’ auction of Antiques & Fine Art on Monday 8th December will offer the rare opportunity to own the late George Best match worn Aston Villa shirt that was signed by the former United great after the 17th May 1985 friendly against West Bromwich.

Best played alongside Kevin Poole, Gary Williams, Tony Dorigo, Allan Evans, Brendan Ormsby, Ray Walker, Steve McMahon, Gordon Cowans, Peter Withe, Paul Rideout and Didier Six, in the 3-3 draw.

The auction site describes the George Best Aston Villa shirt as so:

Best’s shirt still bears the mud and white line paint marks picked up in the match, which add to its authenticity. It will be sold along with a photograph of Best signing the shirt for the original recipient, still in his match-day kit. Estimated at £2,000 – £3,000, this shirt will be sold as lot 490 at Fellows’ auction on Monday 8th December.

 

george best villa shirt

 

Pires and Evans Shirts

Lot 489 will also include a Robert Pirès Villa shirt, signed within the number 8 and mounted, which will be sold with a shirt signed by Aston Villa legend Allan Evans. Evans’ shirt is framed and signed with ‘To Sally, Best Wishes, Allan Evans’. Their estimated selling price is £50 – £80.

Remember if you want to buy MOMS a Christmas present this year, the George Best Villa shirt would go down a treat and be much better than one of those Christmas jumpers! UTV

Bidding details:

These three signed Aston Villa shirts will be offered for sale at Fellows’ auction of Antiques & Fine Art on Monday 8th December, from 10am. Placing a bid couldn’t be easier; simply visit www.fellows.co.uk, or call 0121 212 2131, to leave a commission bid or arrange for a telephone bid on the day of the auction.

Follow MOMS on Facebook here