When I was a kid I used to imagine infinite footballing scenarios in my head and draw them with player movement and ball motion. They'd usually end up in a goal and celebrations. I would make them all up in my head. And do loads of them. To me they were all different and exciting.
I swear my parents thought i was a bit mad.
Anyway, my social inadequacies aside, it would appear Maxim's new Argentinian author/artist friend Mr German Azcel does exactly the same thing. But loads loads LOADS better, as his new book quite literally illustrates.
German is a brilliant artist but foremost a football fan. And it is this passion for the game which really comes across in his book The World Cup 1930-2010 - the best visual account of the world's greatest tournament that we have ever come across.
He illustrates moments of footballing genius like the Archie Gemmill goal in 1978, playing out the joy of the move in cartoon format. But he also – and this, naturally, was well beyond an enthusiastic stick man artist such as myself – captures perfectly the passions and personalities that the World Cup helps engender and fire.
The Latin passions of a celebrating Marco Tardelli in 1982; the nonchalant brilliance and large nose of Holland's Dutch Master, Mr Johan Cruyff; the singular brutality of Schumacher assault on Battiston in 1982 and Zidane on Materazzi in 2006; the jubilation and reprieve of Beckham's penalty versus Argentina in 2002; and the joyous corner flag wiggle of the eternally-young Roger Milla in 1990.
All of these moments are remembered in the book and given a very unique Aczel twist. We love it, we really do.
If there is a better way of portraying the World Cup then we have yet to see it.
It is without doubt one of our favourite World Cup books ever. And we own a few.
Big thanks to German for allowing us to print the pics attached. BUY YOURSELF A COPY HERE NOW.
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