Quest to find Bobby Moore's missing World Cup winning shirt wins backing of survivor of 1966 squad

By SAM GREENHILL, THE CHIEF REPORTER Published: 00:54, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 00:54, 18 July 2026 The quest to find Bobby Moore’s missing shirt is today backed by one of only three survivors from England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad. Winger Terry Paine, now 87, called on whoever has the famous red jersey to give it back. After Moore’s first wife Tina Moore lodged a High Court case against a businessman to retrieve it, Paine, below, said: ‘I would hope a gentleman would tell Tina what happened to it.’ Paine played 19 times for England, including the World Cup group match against Mexico in 1966. But he was concussed and missed the subsequent games, including the legendary final that ended with Moore hoisting the World Cup trophy in his red No 6 jersey. Paine remembers Moore fondly as ‘a true gentleman’. Speaking from his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, he told the Daily Mail: ‘Somebody clearly knows where Bobby’s shirt is and it is only right to do the right thing and get it back where it belongs, to Tina and her family. ‘If Bobby never sold it – and it is clear Tina never did – clearly something has happened. It seems very straightforward that it must return to its rightful home.’ Ms Moore said: ‘I’m so grateful for Terry’s support and his kind words. Bobby’s shirt belongs back where he wanted it to be, with his family.’ The Daily Mail has revealed how Ms Moore launched a dramatic legal action at the High Court, alleging that Neville Evans, a businessman from Wales, either has or has had the iconic red shirt, or knows what happened to it.  The quest to find Bobby Moore’s missing shirt is today backed by one of only three survivors from England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad Winger Terry Paine, now 87, called on whoever has the famous red jersey to give it back Mr Evans initially responded to questions by saying he was not ‘currently holding’ the shirt. He later said he had never had it, and does not know where it is. Mr Evans, who denies having the shirt, is a well-respected dealer of sporting memorabilia and there is no suggestion that he acquired the shirt unlawfully. Ms Moore’s legal team of Stephen Hackett and Andrew Dunn maintain that whoever has the shirt, legally it belongs to her. She last saw it decades ago in her attic, after it was given to her by Moore when they divorced, and she does not know how or when it went missing. Paine told the Daily Mail: ‘What does seem very clear is that if there is a court action against a gentleman, then you would hope a gentleman would tell Tina what happened to it.’ As England captain Harry Kane and his team-mates face France in the bronze medal match tonight in Miami, Paine added: ‘It has been quite a ride for 60 years.’ But unfortunately the nation will have to wait yet again to reach the heights scaled by the heroes of 1966 after Wednesday night’s bitter defeat to Argentina in the semi-final. His remarks followed those of Sir Geoff Hurst, the 1966 hat-trick hero who sealed the famous 4-2 win against West Germany, who urged ‘whoever has the shirt’ to give it back to the Moore family. Mr Evans’s solicitors said last week: ‘He has never obtained any shirts in anything other than a lawful and reputable way, and he has no reason to believe he has ever acquired or been in possession of Bobby Moore’s 1966 shirt, either now or at any other time. Mr Evans does not know where Bobby Moore’s 1966 shirt is.’