Chelsea legend John Terry is selling a jaw-dropping stash of memorabilia from his trophy-laden career – with the American tycoon behind the auction telling The Citizen exclusively that the sale could top a staggering $2 million.
By far the biggest item is Terry’s Premier League winner’s medal from 2004-05, the season he captained Chelsea to their first league title in 50 years, under a swaggering new boss called José Mourinho.
That medal could easily fetch an eye-watering US$100,000, but frankly the sky’s the limit.
The cherished items also include the match shirt from the night Terry’s infamous slip shattered the Blues’ Champions League dream. Yes… that shirt! He wore it in the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow, when he stepped up to take the decisive penalty against Manchester United — only to slide, miss, and crumple in heartbreak, as Chelsea’s greatest prize slipped away.
The defeat remains one of the darkest moments of Terry’s career. He has since spoken candidly about how badly it affected him, revealing on a podcast that he even considered taking his own life in the aftermath.
Ken Goldin, the American auction tycoon with the Midas touch for rare collectibles
Also up for grabs is the infamous “full kit” Terry pulled on to lift the Champions League trophy in 2012 — despite being suspended for the final in Munich and unable to play.
Other standout lots include Terry’s final Chelsea appearance shirt, his final career jersey from Aston Villa, and a painful reminder of his England days — a red Three Lions shirt from the 2010 World Cup defeat to Germany.
And it’s not just Terry’s emotional relics attracting collectors.
The auction also includes swapped shirts from global superstars including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, plus a piece of Arsenal history — Thierry Henry’s shirt from the “Invincibles” season, valued at US$1,000.
The big hearted, ex-Chelsea captain is selling up to raise much needed cash for the John Terry Foundation, with proceeds going to two charities he supports.
Announcing the sale on Instagram, Terry said: “My two foundations, which are close to my heart, are in desperate need of money… it’s going to a great cause so all support is going to be welcome.”
Masterminding the sale is US memorabilia impresario Ken Goldin, the reality TV star and boss of American auction powerhouse Goldin — a company that has turned sports collecting into a high-stakes world of celebrity bidders, private investors and trophy-hunting millionaires.
Goldin, star of the Netflix ratings hit called “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch” has built a reputation for handling some of the most famous sporting artefacts on the planet — the kind of items that make grown men go misty-eyed and the super-rich bid like they’re gambling at the racetrack.
Among the most talked-about treasures to pass through his hands are Babe Ruth artefacts — the holy grail of American sports collecting. Goldin made headlines after selling a 1933 Babe Ruth baseball card for US$4.3 million, while the Yankees legend’s 1918 contract also went under the hammer for US$1 million.
Goldin’s auction vault has also featured blockbuster memorabilia tied to Michael Jordan, moving tributes to Kobe Bryant, ultra-rare Tom Brady collectibles, and game-used pieces linked to some of the biggest names in modern sport — the kind of items that turn die-hard fans into bidders, and bidding wars into history.
In an exclusive interview with The Citizen Goldin said: “John Terry messaged me – literally blind messaged me – on Instagram and said that he saw my Netflix show. He’s a fan, he loves the show, and he saw what I did with some of the athlete collections, and he wanted me to explain that process with him. So I literally flew out to London to meet him.
“We put together a plan that would let him sell some of the items he’s accumulated over his career, and, you know, raise some money and still, keep a lot of his treasures. We’re hoping to raise somewhere in the region of $US2 million.”
If the Terry sale goes well, does Goldin plan to reach out to other Premiership players?
“A million percent. We’re hoping John is happy with the prices,” said Goldin. “And we can use this as a template to go after other legends of the Premier League, as well as all European soccer.”
Goldin is expected to work his special magic with the Terry collection — and with bidders circling from all over the world and Chelsea fans desperate to own a slice of Stamford Bridge history, the sale could soar beyond the auction site’s estimates. In today’s memorabilia boom, the highlights and the disasters of a footballer’s career can command a king’s ransom. JT has had both.
View the auction HERE. Bidding closes at 3am GMT on 29th Janaury
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