Football legend John McGovern has earned himself more than £10,000 after selling some of his prized medals from when he played for Derby County.
McGovern, who is well known for helping Derby win their first ever Division 1 title in 1971/72, decided to sell some of his medals to earn cash before Christmas and they raising £11,887 at auction run by Marchington auction firm John Pye.
But he has hung on to his two prized European Cup winning medals and Division 1 medal he won with Nottingham Forest.
The former midfielder told the Burton Mail he had realised a lot of his old memorabilia had been sitting in a cupboard collecting dust and wanted to auction it off to people who would treasure them.
The items he auctioned off include a Derby County title winning medal from the 1971/72 season, which made £5,100 and a shirt and shorts he wore that season, making £2,305.
He told the Burton Mail that he wanted a little more cash before Christmas to spend on his grandchildren and may even get a new car with the earnings.
He said he will be buying something sensible with the money, saying 'I am a Scotsman after all', before adding he might use the money to buy a new car.
After winning the league in 1972, McGovern said that he bought a car from TC Harrison in Burton with his winnings.
With his winnings, the star could get his hands on a brand new Ford KA Plus or Ford Fiesta from the car dealership, or a second-hand 1.5 litre Ford Focus from 2016. If he wanted to invest in a flashy car, he could put down a hefty deposit on a 2017 convertible Ford Mustang with a five litre engine.
The items were sold online by John Pye auctions, who McGovern thanked for supporting him.
How much did John McGovern's medals and memorabilia sell for?
- Derby County Division One League winners medal won in 1972 in original box - £5,100
- Derby County Division Two league winners medal won in 1969 in original box - £1,800
- Derby County match-worn shirt and shorts from the 1971/1972 season - £2,305
- Texaco Cup winners medal won in 1972 in original box - £1,250
- European Cup ornament with Ram headpiece and UEFA design to celebrate Derby’s European Cup campaign in 1972/73. This was engraved with teams Spartak Trnava, Sarejevo, Benfica and Juventus - £921
- Watney tankard to celebrate Derby County winning the Watney Cup in 1970/71 - £140
- Derby County tankard to celebrate winning the Daily Express national 5-a-side tournament in 1973 - £80
- Derby County Ceramic Ram shaped money box to celebrate winning the Division Two championship in 1969 - £210
- His Derby County tie worn during the 1971/72 season - £81
Total: £11,887
John McGovern's glittering career
John McGovern was born in 1949 in Montrose, Scotland.
When he was just 19, he became the youngest player to play in all four divisions of the football league, having joined Hartlepool United in Division Four and staying with them after promotion to Division 3.
He then moved to Derby County, who were in Division 2 at the time but were promoted to the ten top flight Division 1 in McGovern's second season. He helped the team win its first ever Division 1 title in 1971/72.
Later in his career, the midfielder moved to Nottingham Forest FC after a short stay at Leeds United. There, he won two successive European Cups and won the Division 1 title in the 1977/78 season. He was the Forest captain too.
He forged a close relationship with legendary manager Brian Clough, who managed Derby County and Nottingham Forest at the same times McGovern was at the clubs.
