Brian Deane’s Sheffield United shirt from first Premier League goal sells for huge sum

The historic shirt worn by Sheffield United legend Brian Deane when he scored the first goal of the Premier League era went under the hammer at auction in New York last month.

The Umbro jersey, featuring the iconic laces in the neck and Laver sponsorship branding, was later signed by Deane on the front and was worn in August 1992 against Manchester United, when the Blades’ No.10 headed home from close range to put United ahead against their namesakes from across the Pennines.

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Deane later added a second from the penalty spot to seal a 2-1 victory for Dave Bassett’s men, and didn’t know until half-time that he had made history with the first goal of the new Premier League era.

The story of the shirt is featured in an upcoming book, Legends at the Lane, which documents the history of the Blades through player jerseys and other memorabilia. Deane’s shirt, matched to that game by a specialist company in America, went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York last month with a final price of $38,100 – or around £31,250, plus significant buyer’s fees – making it the most expensive Blades jersey ever sold to date.

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Back in 2021, Deane was reunited with the other Blades home shirt he wore during that inaugral Premier League season, describing it as “way more emotional than I thought it would be.”

The iconic design of the ‘laces’ shirt has gone down in folklore as one of the best in United’s history and when, during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, Blades fans were asked to vote on their favourite-ever kit, it was this strip that came up trumps. It has since been re-released by the club and in many eyes, it brings back memories of Deane in his Bramall Lane prime.

“In the second half, I scored a penalty and also had a goal disallowed,” Deane remembered of that historic first game. “So I could have ended up with the matchball, which would have been nice!

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“We had no idea the Premier League would grow into what it has done, it’s a real monster of a league. It’s the best league in the world, it’s the most covered. It’s changed the face of football in this country.

“It’s really taken off, so I’m glad it was me rather than Alan Shearer or Gary Lineker or Les Ferdinand or Ian Wright. It’s me and something I’ll always be remembered for, and so that’s fantastic.”

Legends at the Lane, by Danny Hall and Pete O’Leary, is published by Vertical Editions and released in April. Click here for more details

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