Street art comes in all shapes and sizes. It is truly remarkable how street art can vary from politics to Disney movies. It is no coincidence the, that the subversive world of sports has found its way into the graffiti community. Many sport icons have been immortalized in walls and ceilings all over the world.
Football (soccer) is the most watched sport around the globe. According to data by Reuters, an approximate of 3.5 billion people watched the 2018 Word Cup Final between France and Croatia (over half the world's population!). Being such a popular sport many football icons like Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Maradona and Pele have been immortalized in the streets of their native cities and all over the world.
During the 2018 World Cup, New Orleans-based artist Brandan Odums crafted this 10,000-square-foot image of Neymar in Miami before the 2018 World Cup. “When you think about an American city like Miami, you think about the color, the energy, the deep South American roots,” Odums said. “It just becomes a perfect canvas for a portrait of Neymar.” The famous sports journalism enterprise, Bleacher Report, commissioned Odums to paint murals all over the USA to celebrate the tournament, and he also put his mark on Times Square in New York with his portrait of Mohamed Salah, and in his hometown with a Paul Pogba mural.
Rosario, Argentina is home to arguably the greatest footballer of all time, Lionel Messi. The entire city is plagued with murals and paintings of the FC Barcelona legend. The author is Julio César Batistelli but he signs his works as "Yaia". On this occasion, he portrayed Lionel Messi controlling the ball while several opponents try to stop him. "The inspiration for the mural came from what Leo is capable of doing on the pitch and showing it with visual art reinforces how powerful Messi is when a ball is nearby." Rosario is not the only city were Messi is praised. The streets and subways of Barcelona also glow with graffiti dedicated to the Argentinian, who has led FC Barcelona to countless victories over his 15 year tenure at the club. For example, Barcelona fan and street artist, Axe Colours, collaborated with FC Barcelona to create an amazing mural in the streets of Catalunya.
Lionel Messi's lifelong rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, also receives praise worldwide and his murals in Portugal demonstrate how influential he has been for the country's football history.
As the Portugal team approached the Russian city of Kazan for their satay during the 2018 World Cup, artist Dimirty Chalov created this amazing mural across the street from the team's hotel. The Portuguese icon, also considered one of the best ever, later said that he appreciated the artwork and his image remains untouched in the streets of Kazan.
A few weeks ago the world received news that Diego Armando Maradona had passed away. The world mourned for the loss of 'El Diego' as commemorations and murals were raised around the globe. The impact Maradona had on and off the pitch in Argentina was such that after he single-handedly led Argentina to a World cup victory in Mexico 1986, a multitude of Argentinians in Buenos Aires created the Maradonian religion. They established dogmatic rules and masses as well as churches and a religious structure. However, Buenos Aires was not the only city he would impact. Maradona raised Napoli's football club from the ashes in his 4 year term in Italy. The city is full of artwork celebrating the footballer's career.
Other sports have also found their strive in the street art world such as Usain Bolt's mural in London created by James Cochran, or Ronda Rousey's mural in Venice, California created by the artist Never.
Football and sports are just a small demonstration of the variety and power that street art has in society and culture worldwide. Football street art combines two massive fan bases creating spaces worth of appreciation and admiration
Thanks for reading REBELARTE community!
-N.A.
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