Football boots worn by Tommy Gemmell in Celtic’s 1967 European Cup final win have sold for £18,000 at auction.
The Adidas boots were bought by an anonymous private collector after “fierce bidding” at McTear’s sporting medals and trophies auction in Glasgow on Friday.
Prior to the sale, the auctioneers had been expecting a huge amount of interest in the boots that scored the equaliser in the team’s famous 2-1 win over Inter Milan in Lisbon.
The final £18,000 price includes the buyer’s commission and VAT.
The boots were sold by an anonymous Glasgow businessman, whose father was friends with both Gemmell and fellow Lisbon Lion Bertie Auld.
The seller’s father was with Gemmell after a training match in 1967 and jokingly asked if he could have a “token from Tam”.
Gemmell is said to have tossed him the worn-out boots, saying: “I wore these in Lisbon, tell the wee fella to look after them.”
Marked on the inside with the Celtic star’s initials, TG, the boots had been on display in the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park for the last nine years.
Also sold at the auction were a number of other items linked to Celtic.
Jimmy Johnstone’s match-worn jersey from the club’s game against Racing Club in the 1967 World Club Championship in Uruguay was sold for £5,400, while Auld’s Adidas holdall from the European Cup final fetched £2,300.
Brian Clements, from McTear’s, said: “We have seen many important pieces of football memorabilia come through our doors over the years but rarely have we seen a piece with such huge historical significance.
“Any memorabilia associated with Celtic’s momentous 1967 European Cup win is important but the boots that scored one of Celtic’s two goals are on another level entirely.
“Although the seller has had the boots for over 50 years, he decided the time was right to pass on the baton and let another football fan get some enjoyment from this amazing piece of Celtic memorabilia.
“We knew there would be significant interest in the lot and we were not disappointed. There was some fierce bidding with the boots eventually selling for £18,000 to a private collector.”
Gemmell played for Celtic from 1961 to 1971. The left back, who was capped 18 times for Scotland, died in March 2017 at the age of 73.
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