Even allowing for FIFA’s continual need to reinvent the format, there are thankfully still some sacrosanct moments in the lead-up to every World Cup. There is a point during the draw when the reality hits home that a certain big nation won’t be at the party. Then, there is the question of who makes up the Group of Death. There is the release of the squads and the puzzlement as to what possessed the coach to omit a certain player. And of course, there is the day the Panini Stickers go on sale.
I first became aware of Panini when their Euro Football album went on sale in 1976. Caught up in the fervour, I would save my tuck money and stop off at the corner shop on the way home from school to buy stickers. I developed a poker-like stare when negotiating swaps in the playground, and, for the only time, I actually completed the album. Albeit after peeling off the required Dinamo Bucuresti squad sticker from a schoolmate’s exercise book, when it was left unattended. There… I confess!
By the time the 1982 World Cup in Spain had arrived, I was spending my money on other things. That’s not to say Panini’s efforts passed me by. Younger nephews and friends at college were still collecting, and as my passion for stadia was taking shape into an obsession, the World Cup venue stickers caught my eye. The tournament in Spain would use a record total of 17 stadiums, but looking at the Panini stickers, you would be forgiven for feeling a little underwhelmed by some of the builds. As the tournament progressed, it became apparent that most of the photos used for the stickers were old stock. It was clear as day that Spain had delivered with their Fields of Dreams, even if their national team had failed to do so on the field of play.
Forty-four years on from my favourite World Cup, I’ve revisited the old stadium stickers from 1982. There is a problem. Some of the images used were over a decade old. The photos of stadiums in Oviedo, Málaga and A Coruña were taken in the 1960s, whilst the efforts for Valladolid and Zaragoza were confined to low-level snaps. Panini was no doubt hampered by the lack of up-to-date aerial photographs and the fact that some structures were still unfinished in the months leading up to the tournament. So, in fairness, they worked with what was available. But what did the stadiums actually look like in 1982? Well, below you’ll find the original Panini stickers alongside reimagined versions using period photographs, showing each venue in its early-1980s pomp. Every stadium and not a swapsie in sight!
You can also visit our dedicated section on España 82, where each stadium and the matches staged are reviewed. Just click here.
Estadios de España 