There are some things in football that are worth far more than the money they might fetch at auction.
Emlyn Hughes’ collection of medals, shirts and personal memorabilia is one of them.
The family of the former Liverpool captain is preparing to put a remarkable collection of football history under the hammer, with the sale expected to raise more than £500,000. Among the items are his European Cup winner’s medals, match-worn Liverpool shirts and memorabilia from a career that helped shape one of the greatest periods in our club’s history.
I understand that these items have enormous value to collectors. But I can’t help thinking that Liverpool Football Club should be doing everything possible to bring this collection home.
This is not just a collection of old football shirts and medals. It is part of Liverpool’s history, and it deserves to be preserved for future generations of supporters.
A Liverpool legend I was lucky enough to see
Emlyn left Liverpool when I was only three years old, so I never got the chance to watch him play for the club I love. But I did see him play in person — for England against Scotland at Hampden Park.
I’m glad I can say that, even if I never had the chance to watch him wearing that famous red shirt at Anfield.
He is one of only two players in my all-time Liverpool top ten whom I never saw play live for Liverpool, alongside Kevin Keegan. There is something quite remarkable about becoming so attached to players from a different generation, even when you never had the chance to watch them week after week.
My first real introduction to Emlyn was as captain on A Question of Sport. I knew the face, the voice and the personality before I properly understood the footballer.
It was later, watching the John Motson-narrated History of Liverpool FC in the 1980s, that I began to appreciate what he had actually achieved.
Watch those old clips and you can see it straight away. The energy, the running, the skill and the sheer enthusiasm. He seemed to cover every blade of grass, always driving forward and always willing to put himself on the line for the team.
There is something about him that reminds me of Steven Gerrard. Different eras, different players, but that same feeling that here was someone who could drag a team along with him.
Then you listen to Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley talk about him. You see the interviews, the humour, the warmth and that unmistakable personality.
You start to understand why supporters loved him so much.
This was a man people wanted to follow.
The man who led Liverpool into European history
It is easy to forget just how much Emlyn Hughes achieved during his time at Liverpool.
He made 665 appearances for the club, won four league titles, lifted the FA Cup and helped Liverpool establish themselves as a major force in European football. He also won two UEFA Cups and, of course, two European Cups.
Hughes became Liverpool captain during the Shankly era and continued to lead the side under Bob Paisley. He was central to a team that changed the expectations of what Liverpool could achieve.
In 1977, he became the first Liverpool captain to lift the European Cup after the 3-1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach in Rome.
Liverpool had finally conquered Europe.
A year later, Hughes lifted the trophy again after the victory over Club Brugge at Wembley. He remains the only Liverpool captain to have lifted the European Cup twice.
Think about that for a moment.
Those medals are not simply valuable pieces of silverware. They represent nights that helped make Liverpool the club we know today. They represent the players who took us to the top of European football and the supporters who followed them every step of the way.
And Emlyn was right there at the heart of it.
His collection also tells the story of football beyond Anfield. The England shirts and international caps, alongside shirts exchanged with some of the game’s biggest names, offer a glimpse into an era when he represented his country and competed against the very best.
There is a story behind every one of those items.
That is what makes this collection so special.
Liverpool should be asking one question
The auction is expected to attract serious interest from collectors, and understandably so. These are rare items from a hugely important period in football history, preserved by Hughes’ family for decades.
But I keep coming back to the same question.
Why shouldn’t Liverpool Football Club be the ones to preserve this collection?
I know it would cost money. The estimates for the most important items alone run into tens of thousands of pounds, and the full collection could raise more than half a million.
I am not pretending that is a small amount.
Liverpool have financial commitments, transfer plans and plenty of other priorities. Buying every item may not be straightforward, and I have no idea whether the club has already considered doing so.
But surely this is exactly the sort of opportunity worth exploring.
The club has a history that supporters around the world are proud of. Anfield is about much more than the 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. It is about the people who built the club, the teams that delivered the trophies and the memories passed from one generation to the next.
Emlyn Hughes deserves his place in that story.
Imagine being able to walk through a Liverpool museum and see the actual shirt he wore in the 1977 European Cup final. Imagine standing in front of the medal he received after captaining Liverpool to their first European Cup triumph.
For younger supporters, it would be a chance to discover a player they may know only by name. For older supporters, it would be an opportunity to reconnect with a special part of the club’s past.
And for people like me, who never had the chance to see him play for Liverpool, it would bring that history a little closer.
These items should not simply become objects that change hands between private collectors, potentially disappearing from public view for years.
They belong to a story that millions of Liverpool supporters feel part of.
This is about more than money
I want to be clear about something. I have nothing against the Hughes family selling the collection. It belongs to them, and they have every right to decide what happens to it.
Looking after such a large collection of memorabilia must also come with practical considerations. Preserving it, cataloguing it and deciding what to do with it is not necessarily an easy task.
But the fact that the collection is coming to auction gives Liverpool a chance to do something meaningful.
The club could explore purchasing the collection outright, working with the family on a deal, or finding a way to secure the most historically important items for the Anfield museum.
Even if buying everything proved impossible, I would love to see Liverpool make a serious effort to preserve the pieces that tell the most important stories.
The 1977 European Cup medal would be an obvious place to start. So would the shirt Hughes wore in that final, and the memorabilia connected to his second European Cup triumph at Wembley in 1978.
These are pieces of the club’s identity.
Liverpool supporters have spent generations celebrating the achievements of players like Emlyn Hughes. We tell our children about the great teams, watch the old footage and remember the names that helped make this club special.
Preserving that history matters.
Emlyn Hughes deserves to come home
I never got to see Emlyn Hughes play for Liverpool, but I have spent years appreciating what he meant to the club.
I was fortunate enough to see him play for England at Hampden Park, and through old footage, interviews and the stories told by those who knew him, I have come to understand why he remains such an important figure in Liverpool’s history.
He was a captain, a winner, a leader and a character. He helped take Liverpool to the summit of European football, and his contribution should never be forgotten.
Now there is a chance to preserve a significant part of that legacy.
I hope the people running Liverpool Football Club take a serious look at this collection. I hope they recognise that its value cannot be measured solely by the final auction price.
And I hope that, one day, a Liverpool supporter will be able to walk into the club’s museum, stand in front of Emlyn Hughes’ European Cup medal and understand exactly what it represents.
Because some things are simply too important to lose from public view.
Emlyn Hughes gave so much to Liverpool Football Club. Bringing his history home to Anfield would be a fitting way to honour him.
That is what I would love to see happen.
Come on, Liverpool. Let’s bring a piece of our history home.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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