Former England goalkeeper David James has been forced into auctioning signed shirts, shorts and match balls after being declared bankrupt in May.
James
has built up crippling debts after breaking up with his wife Tanya in
2005 and is said to have blown his £20million fortune which came from
his football wages, endorsements and modelling contracts for companies
such as Armani.
The
44-year-old played in the Premier League for teams such as Liverpool,
Manchester City and Portsmouth and has recently came out of retirement
to become a player-manager at Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters.
Former Premier League goalkeeper James won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008
James and his then wife Tanya in 2002 (left) - they divorced in 2005 - and modelling for Armani in 1998
Until
the revelations, no-one inside the James circle was aware of the
desperate financial situation that forced him to Hertford County Court.
The former England keeper has written a regular column for The Observer and
has always donated his fee to charity. He also owned a house in Dubai
at the time of a credit crisis, which was part of his seven-strong
property portfolio.
He has also worked as a pundit for BT Sport.
James
split up with his wife to rekindle a relationship with childhood
sweetheart Amanda Salmon, and they have been together for nearly a
decade. He was forced to pay Tanya £3m as part of the divorce
settlement.
His PR team have refused to comment about the bankruptcy.
James has decided to sell around 150 items of signed merchandise through Kent-based auctioneer Hilco.
A 1998/1999
multicoloured Port Vale FC goalkeeper shirt - which he would have
swapped with former Manchester United trainee Kevin Pilkington - (left)
and a signed Frank Lampard shirt is also available to buy
James will
auction the pink goalkeeper strip he had previously worn against Chelsea
in the 2010 FA Cup final and the yellow England jersey he wore against
Germany at the 2010 World Cup
He is also selling a Technics SL-1200 Turntable - this series of music player is no longer manufactured
A petrol driven chainsaw is also up for grabs as James auctions off many of his possessions
The public will be able to bid for items, which range from football memorabilia to DJ equipment and toys, from November 6 to 18.
A signed Frank Lampard shirt, a bright pink Portsmouth goalkeeper top, a Malawi shirt and a NFL jersey are among the 150 items.
James
has even put up for auction shirts worn by Chelsea's Petr Cech in the
2010 FA Cup final against Portsmouth, a Holland jersey he swapped with
Edwin van der Sar and a Michael Owen No 10 kit with 'best wishes' penned
across it.
A
1998-1999 multi-coloured Port Vale goalkeeper shirt - which he would
have swapped with former Manchester United trainee Kevin Pilkington - is
also available to buy.
You
can also get your hands on non-football items such as a Technics
turntable (which is no longer manufactured), three bicycles and even a a
Jubilee plastic half-mug piece.
And, if you fancy it, a petrol driven chainsaw.
The auction page with the 'unique memorabilia' describes James as one of England's most iconic goalkeepers
Hilco are also selling a V-reg purple three-door Vauxhall Astra as part of the auction for James
James is selling around 1,800 vinyl records as part of the auction by Kent-based auctioneer Hilco
This unused Raleigh Chopper Mk3 is among three bicycles listed for auction by James
The 44-year-old has decided he no
longer wants a 2005 Jubilee plastic half-mug piece by Alex Garnet with
Queen Elizabeth II on the front of it
Those wishing to get fit could get their hands on an exercise bike in the auction
He
is still listed as being part of BT Sport's media team - despite
signing up for the 10-week long Indian Super League along with fellow
former Premier League stars such as Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg and
Nicolas Anelka.
James,
who made 53 appearances for England between 1997 and 2010, won two
major honours during his spell in England - the 1995 League Cup with
Liverpool and the 2008 FA Cup with Portsmouth before moving to Iceland
to join IBV.
BUT THAT 'SPICE BOYS' SUIT ISN'T UP FOR GRABS
One
item not included in the auction is the infamous white - or cream,
depending on who you ask - suit worn by James and his Liverpool
team-mates on the Wembley pitch before the 1996 FA Cup final.
They
came to sum up Liverpool's 'Spice Boys' and James lamented that the
suits became more memorable than the match itself, which was won 1-0 by
opponents Manchester United.
The Armani suits were the goalkeeper's choice as he was modelling with the firm at the time.
His former Liverpool team-mate Robbie Fowler told the Independent in 2008: 'It was David James's idea.
'At
the time, he was an Armani model. If we had won, nobody would have
mentioned it. But we lost and it has become infamous. People remind me
about them all the time.'
We can only wonder what the suit might fetch were it included in the auction.
James and Phil Babb (right) on the pitch wearing the infamous 'white' Armani suits in 1996
James saves a penalty from Aston Villa's Dion Dublin in 1998; he soon moved to Villa Park
James made 53 appearances for England, including in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa
James played 134 league games for Portsmouth between 2006-2010, winning the FA Cup in 2008
James saves from Arsenal's Thierry Henry during his three years at West Ham between 2001 and 2004
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