Why the family of Liverpool's first European Cup-winning captain is selling his collection New York Times (Online) James Pearce “It was quite overwhelming walking in and seeing it all on display. The main emotion is pride. It's like, 'Wow, our dad had quite a career, didn't he?” Emma Hughes, the daughter of Liverpool legend Emlyn Hughes, is looking at a treasure trove of football memorabilia. There's an array of shirts and medals belonging to the only captain in the club's illustrious history to lift the European Cup twice. Your eye is also drawn to some of the iconic jerseys the former England defender swapped with opponents he faced, including George Best (Northern Ireland), Johan Cruyff (Barcelona) and Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany). With more than 200 lots, the collection is expected to generate more than ￡500,000 ($666,000) when it is auctioned at Liverpool's Hope Street Hotel on November 2. Nearly 22 years after their father died at the age of 57, Emma and her younger brother Emlyn Junior decided the time was right to sell. “They were just in boxes in the loft, and you never get them out,” Emma explains. “Our mum passed away this time last year, and when we were emptying her house in Sheffield, it meant having more boxes of stuff. We thought long and hard about it. It's been an emotional process, but we've kept a few shirts and caps.” Emlyn Junior adds: “Dad never gave anything away, hence why there's so much stuff. A lot of the shirts are 50 years old, and we thought: 'Let's get them out and share them with the world.' It certainly looks a lot better seeing everything out there like this rather than just stored away in boxes.” Hughes was signed from Blackpool for ￡65,000 by Bill Shankly in 1967. He went on to make 665 appearances for Liverpool over 12 years. He sits joint-fourth with Ray Clemence in the club's all-time appearance list behind Steven Gerrard (710), Jamie Carragher (737) and Ian Callaghan (857). Shankly once said: “If he'd have cost five times that, he would have been worth it. It's debatable if there's a better player in the game. He's got everything: ability, guts, he's quick, good in the air — you name it, he has it.” Hughes won four league titles, two European Cups, two UEFA Cups, the FA Cup and the European Super Cup during his trophy-laden Anfield career. The supporters took him to their hearts and nicknamed him 'Crazy Horse' as a result of his enthusiasm and stamina. He was captain when Liverpool won the European Cup for the first time against Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome in 1977 and lifted the trophy for a second time when Bob Paisley's side retained it against Bruges at Wembley 12 months later. Hughes' medal from the 1977 final is expected to be the most coveted item, going under the hammer with a guide price of ￡40,000 to ￡60,000. His match-worn shirt is set to fetch ￡30,000 to ￡50,000. “I was born in 1973, and Emlyn was born in 1976, so a lot of dad's Liverpool career we can't remember,” London-based Emma adds. “We used to go to every home game at Anfield, and I can vaguely remember playing with the other kids in the players' lounge. It was just going to watch dad do his job; we didn't appreciate the enormity of it at the time. One of the nicest things about this process has been listening to the fans' memories of dad and what he meant to them. “The 50th anniversary of the 1977 triumph is coming up next May, and I know the club would love to be in possession of that shirt. Whether that's buying it directly or a private buyer loaning it to the club, we'll have to wait and see.” Manchester-based Emlyn Junior says: “Dad used to tell a story about Rome in '77 with all the fans cheering outside the team hotel after they got back there with the trophy. He said to the chairman John Smith: 'Let's get them in so we can celebrate with them.' “There was a table in the middle of the room with the buffet on, and he said that it was like a plague of locusts descending on it! Dad loved the Liverpool fans so much, and they loved him back. When he picked up the European Cup in 1977, he said he did it on behalf of all those who had gone before, like Bill Shankly, Roger Hunt and Ian St John.” Hughes played 62 times for England, with Emma and Emlyn Junior both guests at Wembley for the recent Nations League clash with Czech Republic. At that game, they received their father's legacy cap from the Football Association. He died in November 2004 due to a brain tumour. “He was the most competitive man ever,” Emlyn Junior says. “He stopped playing golf with me when I got better than him. He hated losing, and that was the personality he was on the pitch as well. The doctors said he went on a lot longer than he should have done because of his willpower.” “Yeah, he didn't like losing at cards,” Emma smiles. “Even when he was really poorly, he thought he was going to beat it. That was the way he lived his life right to the end.” The auction at Liverpool's Hope Street Hotel on November 2 is expected to attract bidders from around the world. It's being overseen by David Convery, who is head of sporting memorabilia at UK auctioneers Budds. “It really is a stunning collection,” Convery says. “The condition of them is amazing. So many of the shirts look box fresh and that's rare given the age of them. “It's not just the shirts and medals that Emlyn won himself, but some of the other shirts that were worn by some of the biggest names to have ever played the game: Best, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, (Kevin) Keegan and (Kenny) Dalglish. The Best shirt is from the night Bobby Charlton won his 100th England cap against Northern Ireland at Wembley (in April 1970). “With around 240 lots in total, it's remarkably extensive and covers all of Emlyn's major honours. We're expecting it all to fetch in excess of ￡500,000.”