The 1934 ''Battle of Highbury'' match ball signed by the England and Italy teams, ink signatures inc...
The 1934 ''Battle of Highbury'' match ball signed by the England and Italy teams, ink signatures including the seven Arsenal England players and many of the Italian 1934 World Cup winners, with later inscriptions & signatures dated 1941 This important piece of memorabilia relates to the infamous international encounter between England and the newly crowned World Champions Italy ay Highbury on 14th November 1934. The problems began as early as the 2nd minute when Italy's Argentinian-born centre-half Luisito Monti broke a foot in a clash with Ted Drake and had to go off. The Italians were convinced that Drake's actions had been deliberate and suffered from a complete loss of composure. The subsequent retaliations left Hapgood with a broken nose and a busy treatment room after the game. England won the match 3-2, having been 3-0 ahead, and were hanging on for the win towards the end as the Italians began to show the skills that had helped them lift the World Cup earlier in the year,