The England shirt worn by Sir Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup final has failed to sell at auction.
Hurst's shirt was estimated to fetch up to half a million poiunds when it went under the hammer on Tuesday, nearly 50 years after Hurst's key role as England beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley for their greatest football triumph.
The red long-sleeved jersey, with the famous Three Lions badge on the front and No. 10 in white on the back, was worn by Hurst as he became the first and so far only player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final.
Sotheby's estimated the cotton Umbro jersey would attract bids of between £300,000 and £500,000 at the sale in London.
Geoff Hurst's iconic World Cup winning shirt on view at #Wembley ahead of tomorrow's sale: https://t.co/Y6ZLjvZn3R pic.twitter.com/BqQDza6S78
- Sotheby's (@Sothebys) July 11, 2016
But a spokeswoman for the auction house told Press Association Sport: "The shirt is a hugely important and valuable piece of footballing history, and it generated a great deal of interest ahead of the sale.
"Though widely admired in the months preceding today's auction, and despite having seen bidding in the salesroom, the shirt failed to reach its reserve price so unfortunately did not find a buyer today."
Hurst was awarded a place in the 1966 starting XI after striker Jimmy Greaves was injured earlier in the tournament, and went on to guarantee his place in football history by scoring the decisive goals in England's extra-time win.