World Cup '74 Portrait #215 (Johan Cruyff: Holland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

And so the year draws to a close with not just an appalling pun but also a re-mediation of an image of Johan Cruyff, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums, & is one of the few names remembered from my experience of the television coverage of the 1974 World Cup, enhancing his star status as he led Holland all the way to the final of the tournament (repetition obvious aids memory): the goal he scored, that airborne sidefoot volley, to conclude the Dutch team’s 2 – 0 victory over Brazil in their effective semi-final, has become one of those iconic ones, but I also recall his argument with the referee Jack Taylor, & consequent booking for doing so, as the teams left the pitch at half-time in the final.

World Cup '74 Portrait #97 (Berti Vogts: West Germany)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest randomly-chosen subject features Berti Vogts, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ sticker albums & subsequently, having been selected for the official West Germany squad for the Finals, like his full-back partner & the recently-drawn Paul Breitner, went on to appear throughout the tournament, in all 7 of the West Germans’ ultimately trophy-winning matches, although keeping a more defensive & lower profile (I can’t say whether I remember Vogts from the ’74 World Cup, or otherwise became aware of the name soon afterwards).

Somehow, the (unreliable) memory plays the trick that it was Berti Vogts who fouled Johan Cruyff to concede the second-minute penalty that led to Holland taking the lead in the Final even before a German player had touched the ball, but this was not the case, Uli Hoeness being the offender: Vogts, rather, playing for his club Borussia Monchengladbach, brought down Kevin Keegan to give away the decisive penalty to Liverpool during the 1977 European Cup Final.

P.S. (late evening)

Crikey O’Riley, never mind the distraction of the current World Cup (& Belgium finally overcoming the USA, & Tim Howard in particular, 2 – 1 after extra time in a decent old match), but ‘next’ season has kicked-off in earnest for TOoT tonight with one of our very favourite teams, the mighty Ferencváros, coming from behind to earn a 1 – 1 draw in Malta at Sliema Wanderers in the first leg of a Europa League First Qualifying Round tie: it’s going to be a long haul to the Final for our Hungarian heroes…

World Cup '74 Portrait #57 (Piet Keizer: Holland)

 

 

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The subject of this latest addition to the portrait collection is elaborately-coiffed Piet Keizer (a hairstyle that must surely be filed under ‘sculptural’), who was selected to appear in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ collectors’ albums, & also the official Dutch squad for the Finals, where he made but one appearance – the goalless first round draw with Sweden, the match featuring a performance of the iconic ‘Cruyff turn’ -  of Holland’s seven in the tournament during their progress to the final itself.

One of the charming features of the source images from which the drawings are processed is, of course, the period hairstyles they represent, with sideburns a plentiful accessory to, as is clearly observable from the progress of proceedings so far, with the promise/guarantee of much more to come, footballers serving as but a microcosm of the wider society & its fashions of the time.