World Cup '74 Portrait Collection: Squad #14 (Uruguay)

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

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. 

World Cup '74 Portrait #227 (Luis Cubilla: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the Project with this re-mediation of an image of Luis Cubilla, who was pictured in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 commemorative albums (the latter providing our original source material from which the drawing comes to be processed in this instance), & selected as a member of the Uruguay squad for the tournament, at which he appeared in two of the Uruguayans’ three matches, the defeats to Holland (during which he was replaced after 62 minutes) & then Sweden (where Cubilla himself came on as a 43^rd-minute substitute in what proved to be his last international).

Luis Cubilla passed away in March 2013, during which time we were working on the original ‘pixellated’ format of the 1974 World Cup drawing project.

By a quirk of the random nature by which each of the subjects have been selected for a particular drawing (essentially to be analogous to the manner in which the original stickers were intended to be collected & in practice would be), the drawing of Luis Cubilla completes the World Cup ’74 portrait project’s 16-man Uruguay squad, the first to be so even though it was the last to begin, the first Uruguayan out of the hat not occurring until the 55th selection – by way of comparison, seven Italy players had already been drawn by that stage.

World Cup '74 Portrait #219 (Ladislao Mazurkiewicz: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest drawing in the Project is a re-mediation of an image of the magnificently-named Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, who was represented in the Panini ’München 74’ sticker album but not its FKS counterpart, & also chosen for selection in the Uruguay squad for the Finals (having also kept goal at both the 1966 & 1970 tournaments, but only once for his national team between the latter & the ’74 World Cup), where he appeared in all 3 of the Uruguayans’ matches, although his or indeed their presence made no impression upon my consciousness at the time (for whatever reason, though the name & his playing for Uruguay are significant factors it must be admitted, Mazurkiewicz, now sadly deceased, has subsequently become one of my favourite historical goalkeepers).

World Cup '74 Portrait #211 (Roland Sandberg: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the Project’s progress with this drawing featuring as its portrait subject Roland Sandberg, who was represented in sticker form in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 albums (the former, as is most often the case, providing the original source material for the subsequent process of re-mediation) & also chosen as a member of the official Sweden squad for the Finals, where he was selected to play in all 6 of the Swedes’ matches at the tournament, scoring twice, against Uruguay in a 3 – 0 victory in the concluding First Round group match (the first goals Sweden had scored following two goalless draws), & then West Germany in the thrilling, rain-drenched 2 – 4 second phase defeat to the host nation that I can recall witnessing live on television one Sunday evening.

World Cup '74 Portrait #209 (Hector Santos: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Experiencing what might well be a bit of a seasonal slowdown on the old drawing front, but here the Project continues with the latest re-mediation, of an image of Hector Santos, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums & included in the official Uruguay squad for the Finals, where, as understudy to first-choice goalkeeper Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, he was at no stage required to take the field of play, as, doubly unfortunately for him, had also been the case at the 1970 World Cup.

Needless to say, & in common with even those Uruguayans who did feature in their 3 First Round group matches, he remained to me one of the ‘unheard-ofs’ until acquiring copies of the sticker albums the greater part of 40 years after the event.

World Cup '74 Portrait #206 (Julio Cesar Gimenez: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

This, the Project’s most recent drawing features a re-mediation of one Julio César Jiménez, who was represented upon a sticker – erroneously as ‘Gimenez’ - in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ commemorative album & then was chosen as a member of the official Uruguay squad for the Finals where, alas, he was not selected to make an appearance on the field of play in any of the Uruguayans’ three First Round matches, after which, bottom of their group with but a single point, they departed the tournament, without making the slightest impression upon my consciousness at the time.

World Cup '74 Portrait #201 (Walter Corbo: Uruguay)

graphite &putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The image subject of the latest drawing in the Project features Walter Corbo, who was represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album but ultimately not selected in the official Uruguay squad for the Finals, despite, research reveals, having been a reserve goalkeeper at the World Cup in Mexico in 1970, although Walter’s brother Ruben was chosen in 1974 & went on to play twice during the tournament.

As with a number of other subjects, Walter Corbo is thus one of those particular ‘ghosts’ of the Project, absent from the events of the World Cup itself but hauntologicallly present via the medium of such an item of memorabilia as the FKS preview/commemorative album.

World Cup '74 Portrait #199 (Julio Montero-Castillo: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest randomly-chosen subject is Julio Montero-Castillo, who was represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album (from which original source, then photocopied with its image quality somewhat degraded, the drawing came to be processed) & subsequently selected for inclusion in the official Uruguay squad for the Finals, making one appearance at the tournament in the Uruguayans’ first match against Holland, during which he was sent off, although such facts did not impinge upon my novice’s consciousness during exposure to the television coverage of the event.

By something of a coincidence, research reveals that Julio Montero-Castillo’s son Paolo Montero also became a professional footballer, going on to play with distinction particularly for Juventus but also establishing a record number of career sendings-off in Serie A history.

World Cup '74 Portrait #186 (Denis Milar: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today our randomly-chosen subject depicts Denis Milar, who was selected to appear in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums & as a member of the Uruguay squad for the tournament itself, appearing in all 3 of his country’s matches, as a 64^th-minute substitute against Holland & then throughout versus Bulgaria & Sweden, although remaining unknown to me at the time.

World Cup '74 Portrait #177 (Fernando Morena: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s drawn ‘re-mediation’ of a sticker image features Fernando Morena, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 album collections (our original being sourced from the latter), & included as a member of the Uruguay squad for the tournament itself, playing in all 3 of the Uruguayans’ matches as they made an undistinguished & utterly unmemorable First Round exit.

World Cup '74 Portrait #169 (Victor Esparrago: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing with the project & a drawing representing/re-mediating a photographic image of Victor Esparrago, who was featured in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker album collections, & subsequently selected as a member of the Uruguay squad for the tournament, where he played in each of his country’s three matches as they made a first round exit, slipping out without making any memorable impression on my consciousness at the time of exposure to the televised coverage of the finals.

World Cup '74 Portrait #167 (Mario Gonzalez: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The portrait subject of the latest drawing in the Project is Mario Gonzalez, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 collectors’ sticker albums & chosen as a member of the official Uruguay squad for the Finals, although he was not picked in the team to make an appearance in any of the Uruguayans’ three unsuccessful First Round matches, thus condemning him to anonymity for those of us experiencing the World Cup via the televised coverage.

World Cup '74 Portrait #146 (Gustavo de Simone: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #135 (Alberto Cardaccio: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #124 (Nestor Soria: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #108 (Juan Masnik: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s randomly-chosen subject is Juan Masnik, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ sticker albums, & selected for inclusion in the Uruguay squad for the tournament, during which he subsequently appeared in all three of his country’s matches, captaining the team against Holland then coming on as a substitute against Bulgaria (after 73 minutes) & Sweden (immediately following half-time).

World Cup '74 Portrait #106 (Christo Bonev: Bulgaria)

graphite & putty eraser/30x21cm

After a day’s lull, this most recent drawing in the Project has as its subject Christo (Hristo) Bonev, photo stickers representing  whom were featured in both the FKS & Panini albums published to commemorate the 1974 World Cup, & who was selected as a member of the Bulgaria squad for the Finals, at which he went on to captain his country in each of the three matches they played at the tournament, scoring the goal against Uruguay that, but for a late equalizer, almost gained the Bulgarians their first victory at a World Cup Finals (for which, & having first qualified back in 1962, they would eventually have to wait a further 20 years on from ’74 & a total of 17 matches). 

World Cup '74 Portrait #104 (Benno Magnusson: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest subject to be featured is the previously unheard-of Benno Magnusson, who was represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album, & selected for the official Sweden squad for the Finals, during which he appeared twice, in the First Round group matches, as a 73^rd minute substitute against Bulgaria & then from the start versus Uruguay, subsequently to be replaced after an hour.

Meanwhile, back in the room at the first semi-final of the 2014 World Cup, it's 5 - 0 to Germany against the hosts Brazil after half an hour...by what might be a most serendipitous coincidence in relation to the Project & current events, we're halfway to a repeat of the 1974 final.

(P.S. final score 7 - 1)

World Cup '74 Portrait #86 (Jan Jongbloed: Holland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s subject to be drawn from the random-generator features Jan Jongbloed, the source of whose image is, it must be admitted, the first of one of the few ‘cheats’ that will be employed over the course of the project, as his is one of those names vividly remembered from the time, from the televised experience of the 1974 World Cup, that appeared in neither the FKS or Panini sticker albums published to anticipate/celebrate/commemorate the event, thus necessitating research to find a constructed ‘original’ from which to make the enlarged photocopy that serves as the drawing’s immediate visual reference, the photographic image incorporated within being of a suitable vintage to accord with those upon the genuine sources from the albums themselves.

The inclusion of Jongbloed in the Holland squad for the finals seems a genuine wild card, for he had appeared for the national team but twice before, in a friendly against Argentina immediately prior to the World Cup &, previous to that, as a substitute in a match against Denmark way back in 1962 (indeed, it is a remarkable feature that the three goalkeepers in the ’74 Dutch squad had ‘amassed’ a mere 11 caps between them up to the time of the competition, what appears frightening international inexperience for an event of such magnitude), although, as first-choice ‘keeper, he went on to play in all 7 of the Dutch’s teams matches on their way to the Final (hence the memorability attached to the name).

Returning to the present & the 2014 World Cup, this drawing was processed to the nail-bitingly thrilling accompaniment of our favourite 'Celeste' - Uruguay's - 2 - 1 victory over England: great stuff, & a match for our other favourite Italy's win against the same opponents.