(20 June 2018) At the start of FIFA World Cup 2018, one of the best selling FIFA memorabilia on South African online marketplace www.bobshop.co.za is a replica of the trophy the winning team will raise at the end of the tournament.

Standing at 35 centimetres high, the replica is just a little shorter than the real thing. With its very realistic appearance, it would make a nice decorative object in a football fan’s living room, for a reasonable asking price of R550, including shipping. “Not bad, considering that you don’t even have to strut onto a football pitch to get it! All it takes is a click of a button from the comfort of your home”, says Bob Shop Sports Category Manager Scott Donaldson.

Among the football memorabilia offered on Bob Shop are a 2006 World Cup bunny mascot and a 2014 World Cup “star player” trading card signed by Javier Hernandez. The most expensive one is a 2006 FIFA World Cup final soccer ball, with the price tag of R5,950.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of football memorabilia currently listed for sale on Bob Shop is linked to one of the greatest sporting events ever to be held in South Africa, the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“Buyers can bask in the nostalgia for the bygone times, and ease the pain of not having our national team present in the 2018 tournament, by browsing and buying a plethora of 2010 FIFA World Cup related items, such as match programmes, the mascot, armbands, polar fleece throws, and so on”, says Scott Donaldson and adds: “The majority of these items are priced in an affordable range, between about R25 and about R150 “.

Devoted football fans and serious collectors will also be interested in some exceptional rarities currently featured in the bobshop sporting memorabilia section, such as the number 7 Real Madrid jersey signed by Cristiano Ronaldo, on offer for R10,500; the Liverpool jersey signed by the 2005 Champions League winning squad, valued at R17,100; and the Manchester United jersey signed by the squad that won the league in 2012 - 2013, also priced at R17,100.