By Chris Forshaw

It would seem these days that every collector worth his salt has got a match worn Maradona shirt proudly displayed on his website. That might not seem strange in itself but the very fact that there are so many Maradona shirts described as match worn does beg the question.....Are they all genuine?

I have no doubts that during his playing career in Europe and, indeed, Argentina opposition players all desperately vied for the shirt swap with Diego at the end of 90 minutes of being dragged all over the park. Those players, on the whole, were not as ridiculously rewarded financially as today’s stars, which is reflected in the amount of former players who end up selling their treasured items.

It would be interesting listening to the kitmen of Maradona’s various clubs in order to ascertain just how many shirts he went through a season. Did he swap shirts every game requiring a new shirt each match?

Earlier in the Season Fulham registered a superb win over Newcastle United thanks to goals from Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra. For the game Fulham wore their blue third strip; a kit that will never be made available for retail.

This once in a lifetime opportunity will give the Fulham fans the chance to own the match issue shirt by their favourite Fulham player. Not only will you get this authentic merchandise, but the shirt will also be signed by the player to complete this unique opportunity. First up are Michael Brown and Papa Bouba Diop; and your other favourites will follow soon.

Description: This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for any Fulham fan to own the actual shirt, worn on the day of the Newcastle United away game, by Papa Bouba Diop. Not only is it signed by Papa himself but this kit was only ever worn once and will never be made available for retail.

Mullock Madeley - One of the UK's leading Sporting memorabilia auctioneers specialising in Antique Fishing Tackle, Football Memorabilia and other sporting memorabilia.

On 4 & 5 December a major Sale of Sporting Memorabilia at Ludlow Racecourse took place.
One of the shirts for sale was a West Ham United short sleeve player shirt with embroidered club badge and sponsors “AVCO” below, No.8 to rear.

This shirt was worn by Frank McAvennie during the 1985 1986 season and valued at " £100-120 , at auction it was sold sold for £700.00

Here you find the football and rugby shirts which were at auction on december 4th. At the end of the page you find the sales results.

A snoozing Manchester United fan had £2,000 worth of football memorabilia stolen from his home after going to bed for an afternoon nap. The man had gone to sleep upstairs at his home on High Street, Accrington, at 2.30pm on Sunday.

When he awoke an hour later and went into his living room he found that two large frames containing signed United shirts had been stolen from his walls.

The shirts, valued at £1,000 each, were in silver coloured frames. One contained a 1993 home strip signed by Eric Cantona, and a certificate of authenticity.

The second shirt, signed by Gary Neville and also accompanied by a certificate, was from the 2004 season.

Many people who are looking into investing their money have turned to the sports memorabilia industry. In the past this may have been looked down upon, but in today’s day and age this is a viable option for investing your money.

Sports memorabilia has shown a tendency to increase in value as the years go by. This is especially true for any piece that involves a player who is considered one of the best of all time. This is one thing that you will need to keep in mind when you are looking into what pieces to purchase. Try to pick out the new player in the league that is going to turn into the next great. By doing this you will be able to purchase an item for a relatively low price, and then watch it grow as the player comes into his own.

By Jason Wood

Saturday 9.30 am and there was already a queue snaking down Avenell Road beside the east stand of Arsenal’s Highbury stadium. It felt odd being there so early, odder still as there wasn’t even a football match to watch. The fans weren’t clutching programmes but auction catalogues - this was going to be no ordinary Saturday.

Diego Maradona was frantically jumping about his seat in the grandstand of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. He seemed to be completely carried away while watching the 2006 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Germany.

The eyes of the Argentinean fans were glued to their TV screens as the Germans were praying for their hero, the team’s goalkeeper Jens Lemann. The game ended in a draw so the teams had to perform a series of penalty kicks to pave the way for a semifinal. The penalty shootout was Lemann’s finest hour. He managed to keep the ball out of the goal, and took his team to the semifinal almost single-handed. In the heat of excitement none of the spectators seemed to notice the goalie taking several glances at a piece of paper stuck in his glove.

Come and see for yourself why more than 200,000 people visit the Museum and Tour Centre every year! It really is something to savour... Bring your friends and family, organise a group trip or arrange an education visit - all are welcome!

Immerse yourself in the history of the world’s most famous club, experience the magnificent trophy room, test your skills on our interactives and enjoy the atmosphere inside the ‘Theatre of Dreams’- it certainly is a day to remember.