Image Credits: Imago Images
Steve Nicol’s collection will go under the hammer in London, with the auction set to run between April 21st and May 14th 2026.
It is a collection that will include the medals the former Scotland international won during his time at Anfield, as well as match-worn shirts for club and country, and individual awards including his Footballer of the Year accolade in 1989.
When a former footballer decides to sell items from his playing career the usual questions tend to come up.
Is he skint? Is he not doing well? What’s wrong with him? But Steve Nicol via an interview with The Athletic has assured everyone that he is “absolutely fine” as he explains his decision.
Speaking to James Pearce for the Athletic, Nicol said: “When we moved house, I realised I had all this stuff just tucked away in drawers and stored in the attic.”
“Back in the days when we lived in Liverpool, we had a snooker room with all my jerseys and medals in there. But since moving to the States 27 years ago, I’m just carried it all around with me. I’ve never had them all out on display.”
“We’ve downsized and this will probably be our last move, so I just didn’t see the point in moving it all from one set of drawers to another. We’ve got nowhere to put it all. We’ve got plans to upgrade some of the rooms and the money from the auction should allow us to do that. We’ll enjoy ourselves with whatever is left over.”
Steve Nicol racked up 468 appearances for Liverpool between 1981-1994, playing a key role in that successful era for the club.
After departing Liverpool, he went on to represent Notts County, Sheffield Wednesday, West Bromwich Albion, Doncaster Rovers and Boston Bulldogs.
He joined Boston Bulldogs as a player-coach position in 1999 and has lived in the United States ever since.
His decision to offload the majority of his footballing collection makes sense, as it will fall into the hands of fans who truly appreciated the player, and Nicol explained that he letting go of the physical items won’t take away from the memories he has from his playing days.
“I don’t need to actually keep these things in order to relive what I was able to achieve as a player.” Nicol explains.
“I am constantly reminded. All the finals, all the trophies, these things are in my head every day. I don’t need to look at caps, medals, jerseys and awards.”
According to the BBC, Nicol’s 185/86 FA Cup medal alone is set to go for between £10,000 and £20,000.