Wolves legend Billy Wright's momentous match ball could fetch £2k at auction
Wolves legend Billy Wright made history when he became the first footballer to make 100 international appearances.
And now, the football used in that historic match 56 years ago is set to fetch up to £2,000 at auction.
Wright hit the landmark against the nation's arch-rivals Scotland in 1959. Ironbridge-born Wright owned and treasured the ball until his death in September 1994 at the age of 70.
First footballer to win 100 caps for his country
Captained England a record 90 times
Won the FA Cup & 3 League Championships with Wolves his only team as a player
Wright's wife Joy, now 91, later gave the ball away to a young footballer when he won a trial with Arsenal – the club Wright went on to manage in the early 1960s.
Now the football used in the historic match is expected to fetch between £1,500 and £2,000 at an auction held at London's Graham Budd Auctions.
The British Championships match, held at the old Wembley Stadium, saw England win 1-0 and was attended by more than 98,000 people.
Wright captained Walter Winterbottom's side to victory thanks to a Bobby Charlton winner in the 59th minute.
Wright was born on Belmont Road in Ironbridge in February1924. He captained both England and Wolves, making almost 500 league appearances for the Molineux club and helping them win three league titles in 1954,1958 and 1959, as well as the FA Cup in 1949.
His achievements with the club have led to a stand being named after him and a statue of the legend outside the ground – which was unveiled in 1996.
Wright remains Wolves' most capped player.
