FOOTBALL memorabilia from the world's greatest soccer stars fetched hundreds of thousands of pounds at auction yesterday.

The collection, which included items from Pele, Ronaldo and David Beckham, went under the hammer at Christie's in central London.

And the North-East's soccer greats were featured, with the biggest attraction being the collection of Newcastle United legend Jimmy Richardson, who played in the infamous 1932 FA Cup Final.

Richardson crossed the ball into the Arsenal penalty area, allowing team-mate Jack Allen to score one of the goals in United's 2-1 win. Furious Arsenal defenders had stopped playing, thinking the ball had crossed the byline.

The shirt worn by Richardson in the contentious match fetched £4,700, while his winner's medal sold for £6,462.

David Beckham's spare shirt from England's match against Argentina in the last World Cup was sold, as were the boots worn by Brazilian legend Pele when he scored his 1,000th goal in 1969.