World Cup '74 Portrait #171 (Carlos Reinoso: Chile)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Featuring as our subject today a re-mediated image of Carlos Reinoso, appearing every inch the archetypal Seventies' footballer, who was represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album & subsequently chosen as a member of the official Chile squad for the tournament, where he played in each of his country’s three matches: although I do remember Chile as being one of the teams present at the ’74 World Cup, I must admit to having no recollection of Carlos Reinoso or any of the individual players.

As regards contemporary matters, disappointing news of two of our favourites from a couple of the European city derby matches this weekend, with Red Star Belgrade losing to Partizan & Grasshoppers being defeated by FC Zurich. In Budapest, though, its rather pleasing to see grand old MTK up in second place, keeping winning to put a bit of pressure on the top spot, &, behind them Ferencvaros back up to fourth with a win.

Badge of the Day #93 (Vörös Lobogó)

 

Following the celebration yesterday of the centenary of MTK(-VM) Budapest, today’s very latest addition to the collection commemorates the name of Vörös Lobogó, the ‘Red Flag’ under which MTK flew from 1953 – 56, during which time, as domestic league champions, they became the first Hungarian club to compete in the new European Cup, in the 1955 – 56 season, thrashing Anderlecht by an aggregate of 10 – 4 before going out at the quarter-final stage, in another goalfest, losing 6 – 8 overall to subsequently beaten finalists Stade de Reims.

Thus this object is of a particularly desirable vintage, for all that it lacks the traditional ‘MTK’ name, fixed as it is in the specific historical time of not only the exciting birth of pan-European football club competition but also immediately pre-Revolution communist Hungary (MTK had fallen under the post-war control of the state security police, & ‘Vörös Lobogó’ was one of a swift succession of name changes officially-imposed upon the club: for all that it seemed a more exotic & ‘Hungarian’ name, &, from recollection, an attraction from the earliest days of one’s Euro-fixation, its less edifying associations can be appreciated), rich, then, in its ‘hauntological’ aspect.



Badge of the Day #92 (MTK-VM Budapest)

 

Today celebrating the 1988 centenary (already over a quarter of another century ago) of the mighty & magnificent MTK-VM Budapest, as they were at the time known (between 1975-92), MTK having absorbed Vörös Meteor into the fold, whose red star insignia was thus incorporated into the white-sashed club crest, as here represented in the form of an exquisite & most desirable object.

Our MTK pin badge of an earlier vintage can be found here.



Badge of the Day #14 (MTK Budapest)

The origins of the latest exhibit from the football pin/badge collection finds us returning to Hungary, & the third of the favoured clubs from Budapest, the mighty MTK (Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre), of whom there has always seemed something of the grandly romantic, & stately, resplendent as the team are in their besashed blue & white shirts, as reflected in the design of the insignia & badge itself, which, in this vintage instance, is very much a small object of desire, another exquisite thing to be treasured, & on occasion dandily sported upon the lapel.

The appearance of such a badge suggests history (& of course one wonders of the life of such an object, being obviously of a certain age), & that of MTK is indeed a proud one, the club having been crowned Hungarian champions on 23 occasions (first in 1904 & twice this millennium, a tribute to their enduring profile), & being the country’s first representatives (at the time known as Vörös Lobogó) in the fledgling European Cup, although the limits of their continental success were reached in losing the replayed 1964 Cup-Winners’ Cup Final to Sporting Lisbon (& what a resonant fixture that seems).

The current season has begun slowly, shall we say, with yesterday’s 2- 2 draw (disappointingly, from 2 – 0 up) at basement club Kaposvári Rákóczi (now that's a good name) providing only the 14th point from 15 league games & dropping MTK to third-bottom in the table, but hope, of course, springs eternal (a third consecutive draw at least constitutes an unbeaten sequence, of sorts), as endures devotion.