Billy Steel is fondly remembered by many as the greatest player to wear the dark blue of Dundee FC.
Steel joined Dundee from Derby County in 1950 for a whopping £22,500, a Scottish record.
It was a transfer that hit the headlines, as it was unusual for a player to move from the top English leagues to a club north of the border for such a huge fee.
Stanley Matthews, three years earlier, had cost Blackpool just £10,000.
Steel, a goalscoring inside-forward, made his debut at Dens Park on September 23, 1950 in front of 34,000 fans.
Billy Steel proved a sound investment
Over the next few years he proved a sound investment by helping Dundee secure the Scottish League Cup in 1952 and 1953, and reaching the Scottish Cup final in 1952.
In total he played 131 league and cup games for the Dark Blues.
His international career also flourished.
He won 30 Scottish caps, scoring 12 goals, with four in one match against Ireland in 1950. He also scored a memorable goal for a Great Britain XI against the Rest of Europe in 1947.
Steel left Dundee in 1954 when he moved to the USA.
Billy’s international cap
So to Mullock’s Auctions in Shropshire and a rare reminder of his footballing abilities and career.
Offered on April 21 was the International cap Steel was awarded for the home international matches against Wales, Northern Ireland and England in season 1952-53, which resulted in draws against the Irish and the Auld Enemy and a 2-0 win against Wales.
The cap sold for a mid-estimate £2200, hopefully to a fan with Tartan Army sympathies!
