He was the forgotten hero of 1966. One of England’s greatest players, Jimmy Greaves missed out on a World Cup winner’s medal because injury stopped him from being on the pitch in the final matches.

A long campaign by fans led to him finally being honoured in 2009. But those who fought to see him recognised are likely to be less than impressed by the fact he is now cashing in.

Greaves has put the medal up for auction next week at Sotheby’s. The former footballer, now a 74-year-old great-grandfather, is expecting to bank up to £50,000 for the 18 carat gold award.

Jimmy Greaves with his medal and then Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009

Greaves' medal is expected to go for between £30,000 and £50,000 at auction when it goes under the hammer

Greaves won 57 caps for England and then worked on TV and as an after dinner speaker following retirement

Jimmy Greaves (front right) stands with chairman of the FA Geoff Thompson (front left) in front of the other recipients of medals presented by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, after a Downing Street reception for unused members of the 1966 World Cup squad in 2009

JIMMY GREAVES' CAREER Years Team Games Goals 1957–-1961 Chelsea 157 124 1961 A.C. Milan 12 9 1961-–1970 Tottenham Hotspur 321 220 1970-–1971 West Ham United 38 13 1958-1967 England 57 44

Greaves had previously said it was ‘terrific’ to have finally received the medal, adding: ‘It was devastating for me that I didn’t play in the final. I always believed that we would win the World Cup and I’d be part of it, but I wasn’t.’

In May, the player-turned-TV pundit, who has battled alcoholism, sold the country house he shared with wife Irene.

On Friday it also emerged that Mrs Greaves, who turns 75 on Sunday, has a county court judgment against her for an outstanding £185.

The judgment, from August, gives her address as the £100,000 home where the pair’s daughter Lynn lives in Sudbury, Suffolk, suggesting they have now moved in with the 56-year-old. The couple have four children – Lynn, Mitzi, Andy and Danny.

Greaves made his England debut in 1959 and is seen training with Johnny Haynes, Bobby Charlton and John Byrne in 1962

Greaves speaks with Brian Clough during training and then leap-frogs over Allan Clarke

Greaves was considered one of the best goalscorers of his generation and scored 44 goals for England

Greaves goes in goal during England training and makes a save as goalkeeper Gordon Banks watches on

Greaves scores one of his 44 goals for England in a game against the Rest of the World

Greaves scored 44 goals in a 57-match England career and was the most prolific striker of his generation, playing a crucial role in the earlier stages of the 1966 World Cup.

But he was injured in the third game and replaced by Geoff Hurst, who kept his place for the final even though Greaves had recovered. Hurst – now Sir Geoff – famously went on to score a hat-trick in the 4-2 victory against West Germany at Wembley.

The England players pose during training ahead of the 1966 World Cup, back row: Nobby Stiles, Jack Charlton, Gordon Banks, Ray Wilson, Bobby Moore, George Cohen, Front row: Terry Paine Barry Bridges, Greaves, George Eastham and John Connelly

Greaves (third left) listens to England manager Alf Ramsey England alongside John Connelly, Geoff Hurst, Peter Bonetti; Ray Wilson; Alan Ball; and Bobby Moore in 1966

The 1966 squad pose for the team picture ahead of the tournament - Greaves sits on the front row, second left

Greaves (second right) watches on from the bench as England beat West Germany in 1966

Greaves with his arm around a tired Alan Ball after England won the 1966 World Cup final

Greaves played for England in the early stages of the World Cup and featured in the 0-0 draw with Uruguay

Until the 1978 tournament, only those who played in the final game won a medal. Greaves was badly affected by the snub – and by the death of his four-month-old son, Jimmy Jnr, in 1961 from pneumonia – and later became an alcoholic. However, he eventually stopped drinking and reinvented himself as a sports pundit, newspaper columnist and after-dinner speaker.

Astonished at the injustice Greaves and other England squad players faced, fans campaigned for the ‘forgotten heroes’ of 1966 to be given medals retrospectively.

Greaves and World Cup winning left back George Cohen have a chat on their return to London after a game

Greaves and Moore relax at the airport ahead of flying to a game

Greaves has a drink with Alfredo Di Stefano of Real Madrid at a party at the Cafe Royale

The campaign eventually paid off, and in June 2009, Greaves and the others were presented with medals at Downing Street by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said: ‘Justice has finally been done.’

Greaves smiled broadly as posed with his medal, saying: ‘What do I think? Yes, terrific, unexpected. Obviously, it is something FIFA or the good old FA feel has been, while not a wrong, something that needs to be put right. We are all part of the history of the World Cup.’

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER MEDALS 1: NOBBY STILES, 72 Wept when he announced in 2010 that he was selling his medal for £188,200 to 'leave something' for his family 2: ROGER HUNT, 76 Worked at a successful haulage firm after his football career and still has his medal 3: GORDON BANKS, 76 Lost money in failed hospitality business and sold his medal in 2001 for £124,750 4: JACK CHARLTON, 79 Became a high-profile football manager and has said he will never sell his medal 5: GEORGE COHEN, 75 Beset by illness and financial troubles, he sold his medal in 1998 for £80,000 6: RAY WILSON, 79 Became an undertaker after retiring from football and sold his medal for £80,000 in 2002 7: MARTIN PETERS, 70 Sold his medal for an unknown sum after reportedly being made redundant from his insurance company in 2001 8: SIR GEOFF HURST, 72 Sold for £150,000 in 2001 because he ‘could not split a medal three ways’ to pass to his daughters 9: BOBBY MOORE After he died from cancer in 1993, Moore’s first wife, Tina, sold his medal for £150,000 10: ALAN BALL Sold his medal for £164,800 in 2005 – two years before his death – to provide for his grandchildren 11: SIR BOBBY CHARLTON, 77 Now a director at Manchester United, he has not sold his medal, which is on display at Old Trafford Advertisement

Friends said Greaves had not pushed to be given the award and has spent much of his life trying to play down the significance of missing out on the final.

They said he ‘doesn’t give a monkey’s’ about memorabilia and medals and, having retired from punditry, ‘could probably do with the money’.

Greaves played at a time when financial rewards for footballers were nothing like they are today. The World Cup winning team received a combined bonus from the FA of just £22,000.

Greaves teamed up with Ian St John on TV for the Saint and Greavsie show between 1985 and 1992

Greaves on the set of Open to Questions with golfer Bernard Gallacher, Ian St John, Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar and former Daily Mail journalist Ian Wooldridge

Ian St John and Greaves poses with their Spitting Image puppets

On Friday, Greaves declined to comment on why he was selling his medal. Former neighbours in Suffolk said he had sold his detached country house in May after living there for just two years. Records show the house was bought in 2012 for £499,995 and then sold again this May for £499,950.