A former Manchester United and England World Cup star who worked as a postman has had to sell his prized footballing possessions
Manchester United player Neil Webb (r) shares a joke with former manager Sir Matt Busby
Ex-Man Utd and England midfielder Neil Webb is living a quite different life to the one he lived during his playing(Image: Getty Images)
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In the early 1990s, Neil Webb stood at the heart of English football. A technically gifted midfielder with a sharp passing ability, he played an important role for Sir Alex Ferguson's early Manchester United team and was a regular in Bobby Robson's England side.
Fast-forward three decades, however, and the former player, who once shared a dressing room with Bryan Robson and Roy Keane, revealed he was still up at the crack of dawn - not for training, but to deliver post.
Neil Webb's journey highlights the striking financial divide between past football greats and today's Premier League millionaires. While modern players can earn life-changing sums in a matter of weeks, Webb belongs to a generation that needed to carefully manage life after retirement.
The extent of his financial reality became widely known when it emerged he had been forced to sell some of his most treasured career memorabilia.
After already putting his 1990 FA Cup winner's medal, his 1992 League Cup winner's medal, and a number of his 26 England caps up for auction, it was reported in 2024 that Webb was selling his first England shirt and cap, earned in 1987, with an asking price of £15,000.
The decision to sell was not due to a lack of emotional attachment, but rather necessity. Webb explained that the medals had been "sitting in a drawer," and at this point in his life, financial security for retirement outweighed holding onto the items themselves.
"I'm turning 60 in July and it would be good if the shirt and cap goes to someone who will appreciate them," he said at the time. "It will boost my retirement pot. It has hung on the wall in our home and if nobody decides to buy it I'll happily keep hold of it."
Neil Webb playing for England
Webb earned 26 caps for England, including at the 1990 World Cup(Image: Getty)
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"My generation earned good money and you could buy a nice house, a nice car and put your children through private education," he added. "But it is a different world for today's players. I always knew I would have to work after I played. I can't relate to the incredulous wages players get today. Even £100,000 a week – I can't relate to that."
For many years, Webb worked as a postman in his hometown of Reading. The role demands long hours on his feet, a stark contrast to playing on the pristine pitches of Wembley and Old Trafford. At one stage, reports suggested he was earning roughly £220 per week.
Webb's former England teammate, Paul Gascoigne, represents one of the most high-profile and tragic cases of players from an earlier era facing financial hardship after retirement. 'Gazza' has long struggled with mental health and and additions issues over the years - and at times has sadly spiralled.
Neil Webb Manchester United 1989
Neil Webb spent three years at Man Utd under Sir Alex Ferguson(Image: Getty)
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It was actually Webb's injury in 1989 that helped create an opportunity for Gascoigne to secure a starting place in England's squad at the 1990 World Cup, a tournament remembered for its heartbreaking conclusion when the Three Lions were beaten on penalties by West Germany in the semi-finals. "Fair play to Gazza. He always thanks me for getting injured," Webb told The Times.
Webb won 26 caps for England and scored four goals. At club level, he represented Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth and Reading before retiring in 1997.
"When I look back on my career I can say I played under Mr [Brian] Clough, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Robson, three of the best ever British managers," Webb said. "I would have loved to play for Pep Guardiola. I admire the way he makes players better and moulds his teams."
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