World Cup '74 Portrait Collection: Squad #3 (Brazil)

all drawings graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil, each 30x21cm

Post #1000: blimey.

World Cup '74 Portrait #256 (Agustin Balbuena: Argentina)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Number 256, & the last of the portraits in the World Cup ’74 drawing project, which has taken just 3 weeks shy of a year to complete, the final randomly-chosen subject, the last one out of the hat, being another of the great majority of those represented to be unheard of/unremembered from my football novice’s experience of the televised coverage of the tournament.

For the record, a little light research has unearthed the facts that Agustin Balbuena, who was represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album (which of course provides the original source object/image from which the drawing is processed), was selected as a member of the official Argentina squad for the tournament & went to play in four matches for his country over its course, the opening 2 – 3 defeat to Poland, as a 52^nd-minute substitute in the victory over Haiti that secured qualification for the Second Phase & then in the first two matches there, the defeats to Holland &, confirming the Argentinians’ elimination, Brazil.

It’s a curious & interesting coincidence that the last subject in the Project should be a representative of Argentina, when that very country would be hosting the following football World Cup, in 1978, one in which I took a great deal more informed interest & that I remember in much more vivid detail, the players, matches, incidents, etc, & on the subject of which I happen to have acquired & possess a pair of sticker albums, published by FKS & Panini again. Surely not another Project beckoning…? Perhaps - but perhaps not straight away…

World Cup '74 Portrait #249 (Zé Maria: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #225 (Jairzinho: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The Project continues with this re-mediation of an image of the iconic Jairzinho, who, already a bona fide World Cup star (having scored in every match for the eventual winners, & thus reigning champions, Brazil at the preceding 1970 tournament), was featured in both the FKS & Panini ’74 sticker albums, & selected for inclusion in the Brazilians’ squad for the Finals, where he went on to be an ever-present, appearing throughout all 7 of Brazil’s matches, although this time scoring only twice, against Zaire & the winner over Argentina.

Such a profile ensured that Jairzinho’s became one of the few names that registered during & stuck in the memory following my exposure to the televised coverage of the event, experienced as a football novice, &, indeed, became a fixture in our school playground kickabouts.

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 #213 (Mayanga Maku: Zaire)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Another drawing in the project, the portrait subject of this one being Mayanga Maku, who was one of the elite selection to be featured representing Zaire in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums (the latter being of only 6 players), subsequently being chosen for his nation’s official squad for the Finals, where he appeared in all 3 of the Zairean’s matches, substituted against Scotland, as a half-time replacement in the 0 – 9 defeat to Yugoslavia, & finally for the whole game against Brazil.

World Cup '74 Portrait #208 (Roberto Telch: Argentina)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest drawing in the Project is a graphite re-mediation of an image of Roberto Telch, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 commemorative sticker albums (our original source material being provided by the former in this instance), & was chosen as a member of the Argentina squad for the Finals, where, after appearing as a 67^th-minute substitute for his country in their opening match, the 2 – 3 defeat to Poland, he played in all but one of the Argentinians’ five subsequent fixtures, missing only another loss, against Brazil.

Telch was previously featured as the subject of a drawing in an earlier incarnation of the 1974 World Cup project, which can be found here, &, sadly, passed away very recently, in October of this year.

World Cup '74 Portrait #200 (Mwepu Ilunga: Zaire)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

200 up for the Project in the form of a remediated image of Mwepu Ilunga, who was selected for representation in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album & also as a member of the Zaire squad for the Finals, where he went on to play in all three of his nation’s matches, becoming notorious during the closing minutes of the third, the 0 – 3 defeat to Brazil, for kicking away the ball as Rivelino prepared to take a free kick at the Zaire goal - not, as was at the time assumed, in an act of blatant ignorance of the basic rules & protocols of the game, but, rather, in protest at the Zaire players not being paid as promised for their efforts: rather than being merely cautioned, as he was by the referee, it had been Ilunga’s intention that he be sent off to emphasize his & his teammates’ point.

For all that the particular name didn’t register with me at the time, the incident certainly did, subsequently to become of those iconic World Cup moments.

World Cup '74 Portrait #195 (Marco Antonio: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The Project continues with this re-mediated image of Marco Antonio, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini sticker albums commemorating the 1974 World Cup (the former providing the original source material from which the drawing was processed in this instance) & chosen as a member of the official Brazil squad for the Finals, but was subsequently not selected to take the field of play during the tournament, thus remaining one of its many unknowns to my personal experience of events.

World Cup '74 Portrait #180 (Johan Neeskens: Holland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the this week daily progress of the Project with a ‘re-mediated’ drawing of Johan Neeskens, as represented in sticker form in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’  album (the player was also featured in the Panini ’München 74’ collection).

Subsequently selected for inclusion in the official Holland squad for the Finals, given the central role Neeskens played in his country’s progress through the 1974 World Cup, playing in all of their matches & scoring 5 goals, including one in the effective ‘semi-final’ win over Brazil & the second-minute penalty that gave the Dutch the lead over West Germany in the Final, it seems inevitable that his name would have become one of the relative few to have registered during a novice’s exposure to the televised coverage of the tournament, as indeed it did, memorably so.

World Cup '74 Portrait #173 (Renato: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Coincidental to the previous randomly-chosen portrait subject, this latest drawing in the Project also depicts a reserve goalkeeper in the form of Renato, who was represented as a member of the Brazil squad as featured in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album & subsequently made the cut for his country’s official selection for the tournament, although he too failed to make an appearance in any of their seven matches.

World Cup '74 Portrait #168 (Rivelino: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Featuring as our randomly-generated subject in the drawing project today is the mighty Roberto Rivelino, who, as an already-established bona fide World Cup star (having played in 5 matches & scored 3 goals in Mexico in 1970, for the eventual winners) was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums & selected for inclusion in the official Brazil squad for the Finals, going on to appear in each of the Brazilians’ 7 games & scoring another 3 goals as they finished 4^th this time.

Rivelino, with his exotic name (soon to heard echoing across our school playground), magnificent moustache & bending free kicks (one such trademark effort resulting in the winning goal against East Germany, for example), was one of those instantly iconic figures & thus one of the few players who made a memorable impression during my experience, as a football novice, of the television coverage of the ’74 World Cup, going on to appear again as very much a known quantity during the 1978 edition.

World Cup '74 Portrait #164 (Paulo Cesar: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the drawing project with another early Tuesday morning session & the subject of Paulo Cesar, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums & chosen as a member of the official Brazil squad for the Finals, where he went on to appear in 5 of his country’s matches, memorably so in that his was one of the relatively few names present that registered during my experience of the televised coverage of the tournament, being possessed, one recalls, of a certain flamboyance that enabled him & his name to stand out from the generality of the masses (like others of his Brazilian teammates such as Francisco Marinho, Jairzinho & Rivelino).  

World Cup '74 Portrait #161 (Leivinha: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Capitalizing on the opportunity for a pleasant early morning’s drawing activity today, with the result being the continuation of the Project & a study of an image of Leivinha, who was another to be represented in both the FKS & Panini sticker albums previewing & commemorating the 1974 World Cup, by which medium & ‘hauntological’ relics he has latterly emerged into consciousness, otherwise being, at the time, one of the great majority of players whose name & presence failed to register during one’s experience of the televised coverage of the tournament.

Subsequently selected as a member of the official Brazil squad, Leivinha went to play in all 3 of the Brazilians’ First Round group matches, being substituted after 65 minutes of the second, against Scotland, & again, after only 10 minutes (one can only surmise because of injury), in that phase’s concluding fixture, the eventual 3 – 0 victory over Zaire that saw Brazil scrape through by a single goal’s better difference over the unbeaten Scots: at the time of striker Leivinha’s departure from active service, Brazil collectively had failed to score at the ’74 World Cup (& would end in fourth place with only 6 goals in a total of 7 matches).

World Cup '74 Portrait #151 (Clodoaldo: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

This most recent drawing features Clodoaldo, who was represented in both the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ & Panini ‘München 74’ sticker albums which provide the original source material for the project, but alas missed the 1974 World Cup itself, having to withdraw on the eve of the tournament from the Brazil squad due to injury, thus becoming another of the ‘ghosts’ inhabiting these parts, absent from actual proceedings back in the day yet maintaining a presence via associated memorabilia & such endeavours as this project.

World Cup '74 Portrait #137 (Piazza: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #133 (Marinho: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #117 (Dirceu: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #105 (Edu: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s subject is Edu, previously unknown to me until encountering the sticker representing the player in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ collectors’ album, who was selected as a member of the Brazil squad for the Finals, during which he appeared once, in the concluding First Round group match, the 3 – 0 win against Zaire with which the Brazilians just pipped Scotland to a place in the second phase.

World Cup '74 Portrait #101 (Ntumba Kalala: Zaire)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Our latest subject is Ntumba Kalala, who was featured, in something of a shy pose, amongst the 16-man Zaire selection in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album (from which original source the drawing was ultimately processed, via a couple of photocopies) & subsequently included in his country’s squad for the tournament, where he made one appearance, in Zaire’s final match of three, a third defeat, 0 – 3 to Brazil.