“The Beautiful Game” exhibition at Amber Galleries
Last night I attended the opening of “The Beautiful Game” exhibition at Amber Galleries in Stratford Upon Avon, where two of my aluminium limited editions — Pelé and Cristiano Ronaldo — were on show. The exhibition brings together striking football artwork and rare sporting memorabilia. One of the standout pieces is Peter Shilton’s legendary (Maradona) “Hand of God” match-worn shirt from the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between England and Argentina. This historic shirt is expected to achieve £200,000–£300,000 at auction.
I also had the chance to get a close look at Cristiano Ronaldo’s match-worn Nike boots from 2004. They were custom-made by Nike and, interestingly at least a full size smaller than his actual shoe size. This is done deliberately to eliminate any empty space inside the boot, creating a perfectly locked-in fit that maximised stability and ball control. They looked incredibly small to me — almost like a size 7.
The evening also featured personal appearances by Everton and England legend Peter Reid and Manchester United icon Norman Whiteside, whose own remarkable story includes being signed by Manchester United at age 17 on the same day he met President Jimmy Carter at the White House. He had travelled to Washington D.C. with his Belfast school football team for a tournament. After winning the competition, the team was invited to the White House. Norman went on to become the youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup (breaking Pelé’s record at the time), but sadly retired at only 26 due to injuries after a career that lasted just 10 years.
It was a fantastic evening celebrating football history, and I’m proud to have my work included alongside such iconic memorabilia.
