Pele and Maradona shirts feature in charity auction

Samuel Priestley was diagnosed with a brain tumour aged 14 after he began to suffer from headaches

Signed football shirts of legendary players Pele and Diego Maradona are being auctioned in memory of a young footballer from Leicestershire.

Samuel Priestley, from Rothley, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2018, but after several operations and treatments he died aged 18 in 2022.

His family has organised an online charity auction, which includes 10 number 10 shirts, to raise money for children's brain tumour research in Samuel's memory.

Other signed shirts include those worn by footballers Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and James Maddison.

Sharon Priestley said the family was "thrilled" with the Pele and Maradona shirts

The framed signed shirts of World Cup winners Pele and Maradona are up for auction until 8 October - Samuel's birthday.

Others include a shirt worn by former Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp during his testimonial match and Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.

There is also a signed rugby shirt of former England and Leicester Tigers player Toby Flood.

Samuel's mother Sharon Priestley said the family was "thrilled" with the shirts and hoped to raise "as much money as possible".

"To have both Pele and Maradona in the auction is beyond what we could've hoped for, together with some more recent number 10s," she added.

The family set up Samuel's Promise after he died in 2022

Samuel was diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma aged 14 in 2018 after he began to suffer from headaches.

Sharon said he was "full of energy" and "sports-mad" - especially about football.

His father Keith Priestley said their son wore the number 10 shirt since joining a local league team at the age of five, which inspired the auction.

"The best players wear the number 10 shirt," he said.

"I was secretly already hoping for another legendary 10 to follow in the footsteps of my own idols, names that at that time, Samuel didn't even know about."

Keith said Samuel became a "talented footballer" and went on to play for Mountsorrel Juniors and had trained with a Leicester City development side.

After Samuel died in February 2022, the family set up Samuel's Promise - a fund through CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association - which raises money for research into low-grade brain tumours and surgical advancements.

Sharon added family and friends wanted to do something positive in his name and promised to "always talk about him in everything we do".

The fund has raised more than £52,000 to support the cancer charity's work.