Tschutti Heftli artists reinterpret football's biggest stars
Traditional collectible stickers are boring! For a decade, the illustrated Tschutti Heftli football stickers have been arousing passion among collectors for the offbeat and humorous caricatures.
Thomas Müller
The Cologne illustrator Ronny Heimann has depicted the players of the German national team as well as manager Joachim Löw utilizing a cartoonish style that portrays them with a typical hand gesture or facial expression. The Bayern Munich striker Thomas Müller (pictured) typically likes to scratch his head, especially during interviews.
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian right winger and star of Liverpool FC is portrayed here as a chubby, cuddly animal. The Russian illustrator Olga Lysenkova likes to draw cute, overweight cats and place them in superman costumes, astronaut suits or, as here for the Tschutti book, in the jersey of the Egyptian national team.
Cristiano Ronaldo
After the whole world saw Ronaldo's bronze statue in his home town of Madeira vandalized by Messi fans in 2016, the Italian draftsman Jose Sala thought: "I will make the man as beautiful as he really is." So he put the Portuguese superstar and his team in a near supernatural light. He must be a Portugal fan.
Harry Kane
The English team are portrayed as bug-eyed knights who look as though they jumped out of Disney's Toy Story. The approach is not without reason: The Swiss motion designer Neil Stubbings makes animated films, music videos and TV ads. His football sticker portraits focus on the typical facial expressions of the players, including the half-gaping mouth of England's Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
Lionel Messi
The Argentinian five-time Ballon d'Or winner and his team were dipped in the colors of the Argentine flag by British illustrator Andy Tucker. Tucker's cartoons place special, sometimes abstract, emphasis on the special characteristics of the players, such as beards, hairstyles or ears. Is Messi actually related to Mr Spock?
Kevin de Bruyne
When the Belgian and Manchester City midfielder starts to find momentum in a game, nothing can stop him. Here, his compatriot Constantin Sunnerberg has wonderfully captured the strength that lies in those powerful legs. The expression is a classic de Bruyne look of near bewilderment.
Paul Pogba
The Swiss illustrator Patrick Graf has employed a typical comic book style to portray the French team in the spirit of the battle cry, "Allez les bleus." The artist has colored the players' faces blue, and given each a speech bubble in which Graf puts words, and commands to team mates, in the players' mouths.