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Programme notes

Weird, bizarre, surreal: just some of the words Ranald Graham uses to describe the 1981 final programme cover that, oddly, he’s rather drawn to

I’ve opted for the 1981 Final Programme this time because, as far as I’m aware, it’s the only one with a cover signed by an artist – Luigi Castiglioni, a Milanese illustrator and set designer famous in France for his sports posters.

He does these bizarre but really calm and serene painted illustrations. He did a lot of tennis posters, giant tennis balls floating like spaceships, and this cover is like a surrealist painting. Everything is beautifully centred, with the Eiffel Tower rising up as the focal point and footballs circling around it on a giant green planet-like ball. I love the Biba-esque Art Nouveau font for the team names which is similar to the one used in the Paris Métro.

The background is a gradient sunset: yellow to pink to blue. It’s just completely fantastic and vibrant, while the clouds are dreamlike and surreal. They have been flipped at the top, as if the size of the painting that the publishers received from Castiglioni was different to the cover, forcing them to double up on the clouds to extend the image.

I’ve opted for the 1981 Final Programme this time because, as far as I’m aware, it’s the only one with a cover signed by an artist – Luigi Castiglioni, a Milanese illustrator and set designer famous in France for his sports posters.

He does these bizarre but really calm and serene painted illustrations. He did a lot of tennis posters, giant tennis balls floating like spaceships, and this cover is like a surrealist painting. Everything is beautifully centred, with the Eiffel Tower rising up as the focal point and footballs circling around it on a giant green planet-like ball. I love the Biba-esque Art Nouveau font for the team names which is similar to the one used in the Paris Métro.

The background is a gradient sunset: yellow to pink to blue. It’s just completely fantastic and vibrant, while the clouds are dreamlike and surreal. They have been flipped at the top, as if the size of the painting that the publishers received from Castiglioni was different to the cover, forcing them to double up on the clouds to extend the image.

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Castiglioni trained in Milan then moved to Rome, where he worked as a set designer on several films including Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. He then went to Paris, where his career really took off illustrating magazine covers and posters. There are some really great ones like his design (below) for a match between France and Italy, with the map of France transformed into a giant cockerel.


His programme cover for the 1981 European Cup final is just so different to all the others. It feels like a Terry Gilliam illustration from Monty Python. “And now for something completely different.” It’s weird. You almost expect a big foot to come down and squash it.

I’ve opted for the 1981 Final Programme this time because, as far as I’m aware, it’s the only one with a cover signed by an artist – Luigi Castiglioni, a Milanese illustrator and set designer famous in France for his sports posters.

He does these bizarre but really calm and serene painted illustrations. He did a lot of tennis posters, giant tennis balls floating like spaceships, and this cover is like a surrealist painting. Everything is beautifully centred, with the Eiffel Tower rising up as the focal point and footballs circling around it on a giant green planet-like ball. I love the Biba-esque Art Nouveau font for the team names which is similar to the one used in the Paris Métro.

The background is a gradient sunset: yellow to pink to blue. It’s just completely fantastic and vibrant, while the clouds are dreamlike and surreal. They have been flipped at the top, as if the size of the painting that the publishers received from Castiglioni was different to the cover, forcing them to double up on the clouds to extend the image.

Programme notes
Insight

Programme notes

Weird, bizarre, surreal: just some of the words Ranald Graham uses to describe the 1981 final programme cover that, oddly, he’s rather drawn to

I’ve opted for the 1981 Final Programme this time because, as far as I’m aware, it’s the only one with a cover signed by an artist – Luigi Castiglioni, a Milanese illustrator and set designer famous in France for his sports posters.

He does these bizarre but really calm and serene painted illustrations. He did a lot of tennis posters, giant tennis balls floating like spaceships, and this cover is like a surrealist painting. Everything is beautifully centred, with the Eiffel Tower rising up as the focal point and footballs circling around it on a giant green planet-like ball. I love the Biba-esque Art Nouveau font for the team names which is similar to the one used in the Paris Métro.

The background is a gradient sunset: yellow to pink to blue. It’s just completely fantastic and vibrant, while the clouds are dreamlike and surreal. They have been flipped at the top, as if the size of the painting that the publishers received from Castiglioni was different to the cover, forcing them to double up on the clouds to extend the image.

Penalty Pedigree

Etiam erat velit scelerisque in dictum non. Dictum non consectetur a erat nam at. Scelerisque felis imperdiet proin fermentum leo. Nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh nisl. Nulla at volutpat diam ut venenatis. At urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet. Leo a diam sollicitudin tempor id eu nisl nunc mi. Dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut. Pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo urna molestie. Adipiscing at in tellus integer feugiat scelerisque. In arcu cursus euismod quis. Dictum non consectetur a erat nam at lectus urna duis. Facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a arcu cursus. At tempor commodo ullamcorper a lacus vestibulum sed arcu non. Ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Vitae sapien pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus. Eget nullam non nisi est sit amet facilisis. Ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus quam. Elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris commodo quis. Pretium fusce id velit ut tortor pretium viverra suspendisse potenti.

I’ve opted for the 1981 Final Programme this time because, as far as I’m aware, it’s the only one with a cover signed by an artist – Luigi Castiglioni, a Milanese illustrator and set designer famous in France for his sports posters.

He does these bizarre but really calm and serene painted illustrations. He did a lot of tennis posters, giant tennis balls floating like spaceships, and this cover is like a surrealist painting. Everything is beautifully centred, with the Eiffel Tower rising up as the focal point and footballs circling around it on a giant green planet-like ball. I love the Biba-esque Art Nouveau font for the team names which is similar to the one used in the Paris Métro.

The background is a gradient sunset: yellow to pink to blue. It’s just completely fantastic and vibrant, while the clouds are dreamlike and surreal. They have been flipped at the top, as if the size of the painting that the publishers received from Castiglioni was different to the cover, forcing them to double up on the clouds to extend the image.

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

Castiglioni trained in Milan then moved to Rome, where he worked as a set designer on several films including Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. He then went to Paris, where his career really took off illustrating magazine covers and posters. There are some really great ones like his design (below) for a match between France and Italy, with the map of France transformed into a giant cockerel.


His programme cover for the 1981 European Cup final is just so different to all the others. It feels like a Terry Gilliam illustration from Monty Python. “And now for something completely different.” It’s weird. You almost expect a big foot to come down and squash it.

I’ve opted for the 1981 Final Programme this time because, as far as I’m aware, it’s the only one with a cover signed by an artist – Luigi Castiglioni, a Milanese illustrator and set designer famous in France for his sports posters.

He does these bizarre but really calm and serene painted illustrations. He did a lot of tennis posters, giant tennis balls floating like spaceships, and this cover is like a surrealist painting. Everything is beautifully centred, with the Eiffel Tower rising up as the focal point and footballs circling around it on a giant green planet-like ball. I love the Biba-esque Art Nouveau font for the team names which is similar to the one used in the Paris Métro.

The background is a gradient sunset: yellow to pink to blue. It’s just completely fantastic and vibrant, while the clouds are dreamlike and surreal. They have been flipped at the top, as if the size of the painting that the publishers received from Castiglioni was different to the cover, forcing them to double up on the clouds to extend the image.

Penalty Pedigree

Etiam erat velit scelerisque in dictum non. Dictum non consectetur a erat nam at. Scelerisque felis imperdiet proin fermentum leo. Nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh nisl. Nulla at volutpat diam ut venenatis. At urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet. Leo a diam sollicitudin tempor id eu nisl nunc mi. Dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut. Pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo urna molestie. Adipiscing at in tellus integer feugiat scelerisque. In arcu cursus euismod quis. Dictum non consectetur a erat nam at lectus urna duis. Facilisi nullam vehicula ipsum a arcu cursus. At tempor commodo ullamcorper a lacus vestibulum sed arcu non. Ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Vitae sapien pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus. Eget nullam non nisi est sit amet facilisis. Ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus quam. Elit sed vulputate mi sit amet mauris commodo quis. Pretium fusce id velit ut tortor pretium viverra suspendisse potenti.

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