Shirts, medals and other memorabilia belonging to former Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes have gone under the hammer at auction today.

Among the 247 items sold by his family was the shirt he wore the first time the Reds won the European Cup in 1977 which fetched £56,000.

The collection was put together by his son and daughter, Emlyn Junior and Emma who said he "would have loved to see people bidding from all over the world".

Hughes, who died in 2004 aged 57, was one of Liverpool's greatest players, appearing 665 times and winning four league titles, the FA Cup and both European trophies twice during his time at the Reds.

They said it was "incredible" to see the interest from bidders from across the world.

Bids came in from people based in countries including Turkey, Mexico, Germany and the United States.

"It's just mind-blowing. The feeling of pride at the moment is mad," Emlyn (Jnr) said.

"They've just been in our loft, I think one of the boxes had 'Dad's stuff' written on it.

"No-one has seen them for long enough and we've got them out there and its nice they're with people who want them.

"He was proud of every moment he played football."

'Emotional day'

Emma Hughes said she had no idea how much interest the auction would generate and that watching her dad's items being sold was "quite emotional".

"This has been like a treasure chest in our roofs for goodness knows how long," she said.

"Over the last couple of days and people coming to view the collection and sharing their stories and memories of dad… its been really nice to hear those stories.

"I'm really glad they've gone to great homes," she said.

Born in Barrow-in-Furness in 1947, Hughes earned the nickname Crazy Horse to reflect his seemingly endless energy and rampantly exuberant spirit.

He was signed for the Reds by their legendary manager Bill Shankly from Blackpool in 1967.

He quickly became a stalwart of Shankly's side and helped the Reds to the First Division title in 1973 as an integral part of a team which also included stars Kevin Keegan, Ray Clemence and John Toshack.

The following season, he lifted the FA Cup as captain and went on to lead the side to three more league titles.

He remains the team's only captain to lift the European Cup twice, in 1977 and 1978, and also in the sides that won the Uefa Cup in 1973 and 1976.

He also won the majority of his 62 England caps while at Liverpool, captaining the national side on 23 occasions and scoring one goal.