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.

A Great Britain football shirt worn by Sir Stanley Matthews has sold for nearly £7,000 at an auction of sporting memorabilia in 2001. The number seven shirt was part of a 13-strong collection belonging to the Stoke City international which were auctionned at Molineux, the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The blue international shirt has a white collar and long sleeves with rare Great Britain vs. FIFA (Rest of Europe) embroidered sewn on a match crest cloth badge. Sir Stanley wore the shirt at the match at Hampden Park in 1947 to celebrate the post war return of the four home nations to FIFA, the first and last time Great Britain had been selected.