‘Got!’: Panini 1970 World Cup sticker book completed after 56 years

This week, Stephen Butler completed a collection that he started almost 60 years ago. With the final piece in place, it’s now worth thousands of pounds, but he has no interest in selling it. Butler was moving house five years ago when he stumbled across a box in the loft that he had not thought about in years. Inside was his old school cap, some exercise books, photos and, in the middle of it all, a 1970 Panini World Cup sticker book. “It brought back an awful lot of memories,” said Butler. The 1970 World Cup meant everything to Stephen at the time. He was a 13-year-old boy in the Ribble valley, Lancashire watching England play in colour for the first time, in Mexico City of all places. They had entered the tournament as cup holders, having beaten West Germany in the 1966 finals, which only added to the excitement. “It was in colour, it was live, it was the other side of the world. So when Dad bought the colour television I thought bloody hell, bring on the school holidays.” Decades later, Butler was surprised at the details that he still remembered. First and foremost was his concern for the players and how they would hold up in the heat, but as he flicked through the Panini sticker book he also reminisced on his favourites – Pelé and Jairzinho playing for Brazil in the final, Italian players such as Boninsegna and Facchetti, who impressed him if only with their exotic names. …