World Cup '74 Portrait #230 (Sandro Mazzola: Italy)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The Project continues with this drawing representing Sandro Mazzola, who was featured in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums (the former providing our original source image in this instance), & subsequently selected for inclusion in the official Italy squad for the Finals, where he went on to play in each of his country’s 3 First Round group matches, after which they exited proceedings in disappointing fashion.

Another of those players with a fine World Cup pedigree, prior to 1974 the legendary Mazzola (a star also for his only club Internazionale) had played in all of the Italians’ matches at both the 1966 & 1970 Finals, nine in total, scoring in the very first of these, against Chile, in England.

This drawing of a randomly-chosen 16^th Italian player brings to a close the second of our completed squads, following Saturday’s finalizing of the Uruguay selection. 

Alles Les Verts, etc.

Palpable excitement building through this afternoon & into the evening at TOoT Towers as the group stages of the Europa League kick-off, with section F featuring three of the more romantic & our very favourite continental names in the form of Saint-Etienne, Internazionale & the former Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk (preferring to remain true to the Soviet Russian styling, of course), who, in any sane world, would constitute three of any season’s Champions’ League semi-finalists (with Atlético Madrid completing the line-up), let alone this particular tournament’s, impossible now though the latter is  – what a shame that, through the vagaries of the draw, one of these fine clubs must be eliminated from European competition even before the end of the year: may the best teams win & the deserving pair subsequently prevail.

(mention should also be made, perhaps, of the other rather interesting name completing Group F, Qarabag of Azerbaijan)

Shirt of the Day #6 (Internazionale)

Again back to the 1960s design vintage courtesy of TOFFS, & the blue & black stripes sported by our beloved Internazionale as they bestrode Europe as double winners of the European Cup in 1964 & 65: a classic, stylish colour combination indeed.

Badge of the Day #73 (Vojvodina Novi Sad)

Today’s example represents the fine & exotic name of Vojvodina Novi Sad (in the glory of its native Serbian Cyrillic) in the form of what appears to be a desirable object of Yugoslav-era vintage, during which time the name would have come to attention & lingered romantically since as amongst those to be regarded with affection from that (former) part of Europe – not necessarily in quite the same league as perennial favourites Red Star Belgrade & Hajduk Split, perhaps, but still ‘The Vodge’ (& being aware that it really is pronounced ‘Voy-’) are one of those teams we hope to see at the business end of their league/cup, hopefully successfully enough to qualify to make a foray into the continental competitions, resplendent in the red & white halved shirts that only add to their allure.

On the subject of which, if history were able to be rewritten, Vojvodina might well have contested the 1967 European Cup Final, in an attractively-named & -kitted match-up with Internazionale, had they not lost, alas, to a very late Glasgow Celtic goal at the quarter final stage, although, then again, in an ideal world, it’s perhaps doubtful they would have overcome Atlético Madrid after a replay in the previous round: whatever, Vojvodina’s is a name that surely should have graced a European club final or two.

This Vojvodina badge is in fact but one of a batch of eight newly-acquired from Kruševac in Serbia, arriving as they did in some style, as might be appreciated from this photograph of the beautiful envelope containing the objects: look at those wonderful stamps, for instance.

Badge of the Day #43 (Internazionale)

Today’s smart & stylish exhibit from the European football club collection represents our beloved Internazionale of Milan, perhaps TOoT’s most favourite team in the world, whose classy blue & black strip seduced from first encounter & to whom devotion was especially rewarded with their Champions’ League triumph in 2010, a glory night indeed.