Spurs Players Keep Match-Worn 1901 Shirts After Aston Villa Defeat – and Fans Are Still Paying Big Money

Spurs players kept match-worn 1901 shirts after the Aston Villa defeat, yet fans are still paying big money at auction.

Tottenham’s stunning 1901 FA Cup commemorative kit was meant to honour history. Instead, it’s accidentally become a modern Spurs farce.

Despite the shirts being earmarked for post-match collection and auction following the FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa, a number of Tottenham players have held on to their match-worn jerseys, with only a handful eventually making their way onto the auction market.

Tottenham Hotspur has today launched a campaign to commemorate 125 years since we became the first and only ever non-league club to win the FA Cup.

To commemorate the historic achievement, our Men’s First Team will wear a special edition 1901 kit during tomorrow’s FA Cup third… pic.twitter.com/nDLkXGJFcc

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 9, 2026

The shirts, produced as part of Spurs’ 125-year anniversary celebrations of their famous 1901 FA Cup triumph, were intended to be auctioned via MatchWornShirt, with proceeds donated to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

The club had confirmed that worn kits would be collected and sold, but instead, many of the players appear to have kept theirs.

Tottenham FA Cup Kit Auction

As it stands, just two Tottenham match-worn shirts from the Aston Villa tie are currently up for auction: Kevin Danso’s and Guglielmo Vicario’s. Both are signed. Both were worn in a defeat. And both are attracting eye-watering bids.

Danso’s shirt, which, in keeping with the 1901 design, does not even feature his name, has already drawn bids of around £1,900, despite Spurs losing the game and the defender having joined the club last year.

Vicario’s shirt has also attracted strong interest, with more than a week still left on the auction clock.

That figure feels especially surreal given the context. These were not match-winners, milestone appearances or trophy nights.

They were worn in a loss, in a third-round exit, in a competition Spurs have struggled badly in for years.

And yet, the demand is still evidently there.

Spurs 1901 Shirt

That probably says more about the shirt than the match. Spurs’ decision to wear the 1901 kit against Aston Villa generated huge attention amongst fans.

The retro design struck a chord with supporters in a way few modern kits manage.

But a shirt created to celebrate one of the greatest achievements in Spurs’ history ended up being worn in another FA Cup disappointment – and is now being hoarded, drip-fed to auction sites, and bid on like a rare art piece.

Even so, fans are still paying. And paying big.

Tottenham 1901 Kit Charity Donation

It’s not exactly a scandalous situation for Tottenham, but it is an awkward one.

The auction listings do still state that net proceeds will go to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, and the club’s wider anniversary campaign included significant community outreach and initiatives.

But the fact that so many shirts appear to have gone missing from the original plan, or at least not surfaced publicly, only adds to the sense of chaotic charm around the whole episode.

It is, in its own strange way, extremely on brand.

Spurs set out to honour the past, stumbled in the present, and somehow still found a way to turn a defeat into a collectors’ frenzy.

The FA Cup may continue to torment them, but at least someone is winning, even if it’s the bloke who just paid nearly two grand for Kevin Danso’s shirt, without the name to prove it.