Soccer-mad dad is banking on his 'lucky jersey' to help England win the Euro 2020 quarter-final

Soccer-mad dad is banking on his 'lucky jersey' to help England win the Euro 2020 quarter-final

A soccer-mad dad who owns a jumbo collection of football shirts is banking on his 'lucky England jersey' to help the Three Lions win their Euro 2020 quarter-final.Footy-mad Pete Hammond counts 23 different England shirts among his huge 360-strong collection, which is worth around £15,000.

But it's the national team's '93 third kit - a blue strip decorated with the three lions - that has proved a lucky charm when watching Gareth Southgate's men.

Pete, 39, wore the jersey as England recorded a historic victory over Germany on Tuesday and when they beat the Czechs a week earlier.

Ahead of Saturday's quarter-final clash with Ukraine, the kit-collecting fanatic is hoping that his lucky shirt will get the Three Lions over the line once more.

Revealing his haul of 367 jerseys, Pete said: "Italy '90 was the first World Cup I remember, so I've got England's home and away kits.

"I've got the '93 and '96 shirts, and I've got the original from France '98."Collecting kits has been a habit since I was about 10 but it's only in the last few years that my collection has got out of hand, my wife would say."A Sunday league right-back in his prime, Pete's passion for football shirts stems from "filling the void" left after he hung up his boots six years ago.

Pete sources his kits from across the globe but claims he's never spent more than £100 on a strip.

The die-hard Manchester United fan said: "I've had shirts delivered from Malaysia, India, Canada.

"Some shirts have taken four or five years to find but the thrill of the chase makes up for it.

"There's a lot of comradery with other collectors.

You feel part of a community."Asked what his favourite England strip is, Pete said: "The Italy '90 third kit - it's stood the test of time."The Italy '90 kit gained notoriety after featuring in New Order's 1990 music video for World in Motion, a single released for the Italy World Cup, where England finished fourth.

Pete keeps his collection stuffed in the draws and wardrobes of his family home in Weston, Lincs, where he lives with wife Hayley and their kids Nancy, 3 and Stanley, 6.

He said: "Stanley has always got a football kit on, though he doesn't have much choice."Pete's football shirt collection is constantly expanding and he shares his latest finds with fellow enthusiasts on Instagram.