A recent article about Panini football stickers has struck a deeply personal chord with one reader, Denis Hodžić, who was moved to write after seeing a photograph of the very album he cherished as a child. The feature, titled ‘Writers on their World Cup Panini collecting days: ‘We all remember the playground twerp’’, published on 9 May, prompted Hodžić to reflect on his own experiences with sticker albums from the 1970s and 1980s.
A Favourite Album and World Cup
Hodžić recalls that his favourite album and World Cup was Spain 1982. Growing up in Yugoslavia, he eagerly followed the national team, which ultimately failed to live up to its reputation as the ‘European Brazilians’. Meanwhile, the Brazilian team, with its charismatic superstars, looked magnificent on stickers and became the most valuable currency in the playground.
The Uncanny Photograph
What prompted Hodžić to write, however, was the photograph accompanying the article. In it, the most noticeable Panini album is the Yugoslav edition from the 1982 World Cup—identical to the one he owned at the time. He describes feeling an almost uncanny sensation seeing it there, thinking that all these years later, his favourite newspaper had published an article about his favourite childhood hobby and his favourite sporting event, with a kind of special personal message included.
Hodžić concludes with a heartfelt thank you. The letter serves as a testament to the enduring power of nostalgia and the unexpected connections that can arise between readers and the media they consume.
