This sheet of Luxor Hotel paper has been signed by members of the 1950 England World Cup squad.
England’s 1950 World Cup campaign in Brazil saw them staying at the Luxor on Copacabana beach, with players reporting it difficult to sleep at night because of the constant traffic and music noise.
The hotel food wasn’t much better, with goalie Bert Williams recalling a particular incident where the staff brought fresh fruit to the room, only for an infestation of ants to appear. In one incident, Manager Walter Winterbottom walked into the kitchen and demanded to cook for himself.
Star player Sir Stanley Matthews was sent on a tour of Canada and missed the first game, a 1 – 0 win against Chile, and wasn’t even selected for the second match against the USA, who beat England 1 – 0 whilst the famous player watched on head in hands. A 1 – 0 defeat to Spain saw them fail to get out of the group stages.
You can read a first hand account of the disastrous 1950 World Cup here.
