A shirt believed to have been worn by Swindon legend Glenn Hoddle has sold for almost £17,000 - despite auctioneers having no proof it was his.

The special edition centenary shirt from the 1982/83 Tottenham Hotspur season, emblazoned with number 10 on the back, came without direct evidence it was worn by Hoddle.

But one fan was confident enough to shell out £16,900 for it when it went under the hammer at Ewbank's Auctioneers in Surrey last week.

The shirt had previously sold at auctioneers Bonhams & Brooks in 2001 with a catalogue cover that showed a photograph of Hoddle in an identical top.

Swindon Advertiser: Glenn Hoddle's shirt sold for £17,000Glenn Hoddle's shirt sold for £17,000 (Image: SWNS)

But while it was never confirmed officially it was the same one, fans believed it was and it smashed its pre-sale estimate of £800-£1,200.

Senior partner Andrew Ewbank said: “We felt the need for a little more direct evidence of it being the Hoddle shirt, although we are almost certain that it is.

"But it was equally clear from the number of fans ringing up before the sale offering thousands for it then and there that they harboured no doubts at all."

Glenn Hoddle started his footballing career at Tottenham and played for the London club between 1975 and 1987, before moving to Monaco, Swindon and Chelsea.

Hoddle won the PFA Young Player of the Year in the 1979-80 season with 19 goals in 41 appearances.

The next season he was the star player in Tottenham's defeat to Man City in the FA Cup final replay.

The following year, 1982-83, Spurs’ centenary and the year of the shirt, he scored in the FA Cup final and replay against Queen’s Park Rangers as his side retained the cup.

The short-sleeved shirt features the words 'Centenary Year 1882-1982' around the club's badge.

With the back sporting the all-important number 10, it was consigned along with a copy of the 2001 auction catalogue and the original lot tag from that sale.

Hoddle arrived at Swindon in March 1991 when the club was struggling in the aftermath of a financial scandal which had seen them stripped of promotion to the First Division at the end of the previous season. 

In his first season, the Robins finished in eighth place, just missing out on a play-off place, and the following season he led Swindon to promotion to the Premier League.

After his success as Swindon, Hoddle went on to manage Chelsea, then England, then Tottenham before finishing his career at Wolves.