We're getting back into our old habits – and not a moment too soon – with a new batch of very limited edition football photographs . Four as usual, featuring black & white , a stadium in the city , Maradona , and a Dutch icon .
But before that, a quick word about the Supporters Pack (which we mentioned in the last newsletter) – it sold out in just two months! We've decided to give those who missed out a second chance by withdrawing it. Maybe. To do this , we need to be sure it will sell again and therefore exceed 200 pre-orders. We're already at the first quarter of our goal after just three days... Otherwise? You'll of course be refunded to the last cent!
Photos of the month:
It seems so calm, in the heart of the city, nestled between the calanques and the Old Port . It too is preparing for the next match. Built in 1937 and renovated in 2016 for the Euros , it has witnessed some of the biggest matches in French and European competitions. From the 1984 European Championship to the 1998 World Cup , via the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games , the Vélodrome stadium hosts major events. Its 60,000 spectators make the earth tremble in the Bouches-du-Rhône region, and with the great Olympique de Marseille team, the Vélodrome's neighbors won't be getting much sleep anytime soon. ALLEZ L'OHEME!
On July 4, 1998 , the Stade Vélodrome hosted the quarter-final of the World Cup in France . Edgar Davids' Netherlands faced Diego Simeone's Argentina in a packed stadium. After a closely contested first half (1-1), the Oranje pressed forward at the end of the second half. In the photograph, Dennis Bergkamp controls the ball with a sublime backheel flick while eluding Roberto Ayala on a cross from Frank de Boer. The image captures the lightness of the ball, Bergkamp's focused gaze , and Ayala's effort to retrieve it. He wouldn't succeed: the Netherlands' number 8 scored with a sublime sombrero flick and right-footed volley into the bottom corner . Argentina would end their tournament with this gem of a goal from Bergkamp.
On March 2, 1966 , Leeds United reached the quarter-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup , a competition between host cities of international fairs. Established in 1955, this cup aimed to promote international fairs. FC Barcelona, AS Roma, Birmingham City, and other European clubs participated . Founded two months after the creation of the European Cup (Champions League), this competition didn't yet know it, but it would soon become part of the history of football. This image reminds us of the early days of professional football and a time when dogs were still allowed on the pitch. Nostalgia.
October 22, 1989. Diego Maradona's Napoli faced VfB Stuttgart in the second leg of their Champions League final, with Stuttgart having won the first leg 1-0. At 29, Maradona , a 1986 World Cup winner, played in the first and only European Cup (now Champions League) final of his career . Not yet a legend, the young Argentinian player added a little more to his history. SSC Napoli won 2-1 thanks to a decisive penalty from the great Diego. A few months earlier, El Pibe de Oro had won the Copa America with Argentina. He retired eight years later, in 1997, and passed away in 2020.
BONUS:
The Paris 2024 Games thrilled you. Us too.
After this month and a half of joy , sadness , enthusiasm , elation , and all these sporting events, we wanted to thank all the French athletes and para-athletes who allowed us to experience these emotions forever etched in our memories.
How? By writing the first and last names of all the French gold, silver and bronze medalists from the Olympic and Paralympic Games on the blue-white-red silver cover of the So 2024 special edition.
A historic issue, available in only 100 copies.
All these photographs are available in limited editions.
numbered and captioned by hand, from November 1, 2024 at 00:01