Viv Anderson white, red & blue No.2 England v. Czechoslovakia International debut shirt, 1978

Viv Anderson white, red and blue No.2 England v. Czechoslovakia International debut long-sleeved shirt, 1978, Admiral, 38-40, with v-neck collar and embroidered three lion badge, areas of staining and historical tape marks from being unframed

The above historical shirt was worn by Viv Anderson when he made his International debut for England. However, his debut with the national team represented much more than just his first game, It would mean something far more significant, he would become the first black player ever to represented the England National Team. In the match played on 29th November 1978 at Wembley Stadium, England defeated the Czechs 1-0 and he played a prominent part in the only goal against the European champions in the sixty-eighth minute. He combined on the right with Tony Currie, whose low cross into the goalmouth was driven home by Steve Coppell.

With Letter of Provenance from Viv Anderson stating:

This is the actual shirt I wore for my England debut against Czechoslovakia November 29th, 1978. When making my debut in this match I became the First Black Full International to play for England. This shirt has been in my possession for 20 years but since then it's been on display at The National Football Museum and the Peoples History Museum both in Manchester.

My favorite memory of that event was when I joined Manchester United from arsenal 1987, my teammate and friend Norman Whiteside said to me one day, that we both have records beside our names, his being (to date), the youngest player ever to play in the World Cup at the age of 17 beating Pele's record. Mine for being THE FIRST BLACK FULL INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALLER. He said to me that day “I would prefer to have your record than mine” I said “Why?” He said because one day who knows when my record WILL BE BEATEN, yours can NEVER BE BEATEN. It is a piece of history that nobody can ever beat (a one off). I never thought of it like that, but he was correct.

Viv Anderson MBE

Exhibited: The National Football Museum - Peoples History Museum.

Provenance: The Viv Anderson Collection

The following lots 39 to 159 relate to the career of Viv Anderson MBE

Vivian Alexander Anderson was born in Clifton, Nottingham in 1956, his versatility and defensive prowess brought him to the attention of Nottingham Forest and he signed with the club in 1974, breaking into the first team in his debut season. Spending 10 years with the club winning back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980 as well as the Division 1 League Championship, League Cup, European Super Cup medals and it was with Forest when he was picked for England duty and as such the call up became a significant event in the annals of English football history.

On the evening on 29th November 1978 at Wembley Viv would leave his mark in history and English football when he became the first black player to play at full international level for England. As he stated in interviews reflecting on his first game, he was focused on making the right pass and the right tackle and not committing any mistakes. On the day of the Wembley match he received telegrams from the Queen and Sir Elton John congratulating him on the achievement. He went on to make a further 29 International appearances for England scoring two goals along the way.

After 328 appearances he was transferred to Arsenal in 1984 making a total 120 appearances for the North London side and picking up a League Cup winners medal in 1986 and when he transferred to Manchester United, he had the distinction of being the first-ever signing for Sir Alex Fergusson. Making only 54 appearances for United he joined Sheffield Wednesday in 1991 and played a part in their promotion under Ron Atkinson and played in the 1993 FA and League Cup Finals, losing both to former Club Arsenal.

After a short spell with Barnsley as player/ manager, he joined up with Bryan Robson as Middlesbrough assistant manager, helping them to two promotions and domestic Cup Finals

Although retired he remained in football becoming an influential figure and without doubt his International appearance was a watershed moment for black players in England.