Charlie Roberts and Stanley Matthews memorabilia sold at auction
- Published
Memorabilia belonging to England footballers Sir Stanley Matthews (left) and Charlie Roberts were sold for a total of £50,000
A shirt worn by a footballer who helped form the players' union has sold for £30,000 at auction.
The top was worn by Manchester United captain Charlie Roberts during the club's first FA Cup final win in 1909, when they beat Bristol City 1-0.
Another of his shirts, worn during a Players' Union match, sold for £5,000.
A cap awarded to England footballer Sir Stanley Matthews for what he described as the most violent match in his career fetched £15,000.
Then aged 19, he escaped unscathed from a 1934 match against Italy, which saw an Italian defender suffer a broken foot after a tackle, an England player get punched and others receive injuries including a broken nose, fractured arm and ankle damage.
One of his medals - won after his club Stoke City won the Division Two Championship in 1963 - failed to sell at a reserve price of £15,000.
The items, sold by Graham Budd Auctioneers in London, were purchased by undisclosed buyers.
Factbox: Sir Stanley Matthews and Charlie Roberts
Sir Stanley Matthews
Born in Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent in 1915
He first signed as a professional for Stoke at the age of 17 and signed for Blackpool 15 years later for a fee of £11,500
In 1934, the 19-year-old won his first cap for England, scoring in a 4-0 win against Wales
In a vintage FA Cup final in 1953 - which became known as "The Matthews Final" - his Blackpool side were losing 1-3 in the second half, only for him to create three goals for his teammates and finally win his first FA Cup medal
Pele said Sir Stanley was "the man who taught us the way football should be played"
Charlie Roberts
Born in Darlington in 1883, he started his playing career at Bishop Auckland and Grimsby Town before he was signed by United in 1904 for £400 - about £44,000 at today's rate
He made 299 appearance for the Reds, where he scored 23 goals and helped the team win their first Football League Division titles in 1908 and 1911
Just before World War One, and well into his 30s, Roberts moved to Oldham Athletic where he led them to their greatest success in the league
He later worked as a tobacconist - the Ducrobel cigar was named after him and Manchester United team-mates Dick Duckworth and Alex Bell
Roberts died aged 56 in 1939
Roberts also played for England and flouted FA rules by wearing shorts above the knee.
Along with fellow United player Billy Meredith, the defender had a key role in setting up the Players' Union in 1907 in Manchester.
Tim Ashmore, of the National Football Museum, said Roberts was one of the "star players of the time" who changed the fortunes of United.
In 1961, after his death, the Professional Footballers' Association - under the leadership of Jimmy Hill - secured the scrapping of the Football League's maximum wage, leading to clubs paying players whatever they thought they were worth.
Charlie Roberts's shirts sold for £30,000 (left) and £5,000 (right)
Sir Stanley Matthews's medal after Stoke City won the Division Two Championship failed to sell at the auction