Robbo's unique accomplishment
Manchester United legend Bryan Robson's career achievements are vast, but one of his lesser-known accolades confirms his longevity at the top of the game.
Many fans of a certain age will fondly remember swapping Panini stickers at school, and desperately endeavouring to fill their albums.
Flicking through the images and replying 'got' or 'need' to classmate's collections of swaps was a staple of every breaktime and it became a marvellous way of learning about the teams and players of the day.
Well, Robson's feats are recorded in a new book, entitled 'Panini Legends: A Celebration of the World's Greatest Football Stickers', which features many a nostalgic picture of the era.
The Italian business produced its first UK domestic sticker album during the 1977/78 season (Football '78) and continued their first run of collections in England up to Football '93.
Only one player had his own sticker in every album over that period – that man Robson.
The ex-England skipper appeared in the West Brom pages from Football '78 to Football '82 (his transfer to Old Trafford in the 1981/82 season was too late to beat Panini’s printing deadline) before making 11 consecutive appearances for the Reds.
On the international front, the midfield general can also boast three successive Panini World Cup album credits from Espana '82 to Italia '90, a spot in the Euro '88 collection plus a host of other special appearances such as the French Foot '89 and The All-Time Greats 1920-1990.
Another United player to make it into a Panini album every season from Football '78 to Football '93 was the late Ray Wilkins, except his travels meant he didn’t always make the UK version.
The classy midfielder figured on the United pages from Football '80 to Football '84, with representations for Chelsea, AC Milan, Paris St Germain, Rangers and Queens Park Rangers either side.
Although Panini’s UK domestic output didn’t begin until the late 1970s, the early releases in its Italian homeland still acknowledged the merits of United’s greats of the 1960s, saying much for the allure of Sir Matt Busby's all-conquering side.
George Best and Bobby Charlton were both picked out in various ‘World Stars’ sections, while super striker Denis Law, who had a spell at Torino, can lay claim to appearing in Panini’s first-ever collection – Calciatori 1961/1962.
As Panini spread its wings across the globe, more recent United greats have a far greater number of stickers – and cards – to their names. Twelve of those superstars – from Robson to Rooney, Beckham to Best and Cantona to Keane – are featured in Panini Legends.
The new book Panini Legends: A Celebration of the World's Greatest Football Stickers by Greg Lansdowne (Bloomsbury Sport) is available to buy now.
Images courtesy of Panini S.p.A, Modena Italia.