World Cup: Mystery ex-England footballer selling Italia 90 shirts

The shirts were collected by a former player during the 1990 World Cup

A collection of shirts amassed by a mystery ex-England footballer during the 1990 World Cup is going on sale.

The eight shirts, being sold by Derbyshire-based Hansons Auctioneers, were collected during England's seven games in the tournament, which saw the team defeated in the semi-finals by West Germany.

A signed yellow shirt, worn by goalkeeper Peter Shilton during the penalty defeat, is also up for sale.

The collection could fetch £300,000.

Charles Hanson, owner of the auction firm, said he could not reveal which ex-England star was selling the shirts "due to client confidentiality".

"However, he played a crucial role in Italia 1990 and enjoyed a stellar career in football," he said.

One of the most famous images of Italia 90 was of England's star midfielder Paul Gascoigne, after he got booked in the semi-final, meaning he would miss the final if his team got there

Hansons said seven shirts were exchanged with opposition players who competed against England during the tournament.

Described as the "magnificent seven", they have a guide price of £150,000 to £250,000.

They were originally issued to the Republic of Ireland's Andy Townsend, Johannes van't Schip, from the Netherlands, Egypt's Sader Eid, Belgium's Marc van der Linden, Emmanuel Kunde, from Cameroon, West Germany's Klaus Augenthaler and Italy's Giuseppe Giannini.

Peter Shilton had a playing career spanning three decades

Shilton's shirt, signed by the England squad, has a price estimate of £40,000 to £50,000.

Mr Hanson said the former goalkeeper "gave it away to our vendor in the dressing room after the pain of that penalty shootout defeat against West Germany".

He added: "This unique set of retro shirts sweeps us back to a tournament that will stay forever etched in millions of memories."

Bids for the shirts are being invited by private tender.