EDICOLA NEWS: REVIEWS nr. 124
stickers: 568 (1-28 per team)
starter pack: album + 5 packets € 3.90
packets: 0,80 € (5 stickers)
comment: here it is, the most original album in history, or the album of something that is not there. Controversial in the sense that many do not agree with the choice, strange because surely we will not see one the same, indeed we hope not, or that sport like everything else should no longer stop for health reasons like this year.
In a particular situation like this, I personally take the side of Panini and I agree with the choice to release the album anyway. As it was also written on our website “passion knows no quarantine”, this romantic aspect was certainly not the reason why Panini sent the album to print, but undoubtedly economic reasons.
It is not known the commercial agreements, but as pay TVs have not received discounts from sports institutions, so the Modena-based company had already paid to make the album. The fact that, more specifically, albums and stickers had already been printed is not said but is irrelevant. I was really very curious to touch this product by hand; before this review, even more than I normally do, I leafed through it carefully and came to some conclusions that I share here, personal reasoning, not certainties.
Panini could simply print an “x” album, using the material already prepared (even if not printed, surely the art work was already ready for some time), instead by professionals such as they have tried to present a still decent product.
Almost 600 stickers (568), we wanted to maintain more or less the classic standard, the lack of teams from the play-offs (not yet played) allowed us to have 28 stickers per national team. For each team we find badge, two double stickers (squad and team in action), the captain’s special glitter and 22 other players. The squad of players is, as far as possible updated, is not the same used for Adrenalyn. For example in Italy in this album we do not find Zaniolo, currently injured.
The numbering is not the classic 1-568 but it divides nation by nation and the teams are in alphabetical order in english. Alternative solution, probably linked to practical needs in the management of the album rather than a marketing choice. It is certainly one of the other particular aspects of this album.
The stickers are the classic bust ones, of higher quality than those of Russia 2018 even if light years away from Calciatori (as always, moreover). A little trick: they could be made with different materials, badges and captains. Instead of 568 you could get to 584 stickers and also have stickers from the play-off teams. Ultimately a fairly good album, from an album of Euro as for the World Cup I love the classic, or are products that must be closely connected to tradition, for the best attempts that Panini has fun with Fifa365 or other productions.
In the year where Panini made a sensational card album, because Adrenalyn Euro2020 is truly splendid, even the classic stickers in their own small way have their say. I find that something can be done on the pictures of the players, for example by putting the background flag as for the cards, but on the other hand it would be without the tradition of which I wrote a moment before. It is an atrocious and personal doubt that I cannot answer. Of course, I admit it, for the first time ever, as a traditionalist this year I am also enthusiastically collecting the Adrenalyn version.
Among the many doubts I have only one certainty, this little considered and mistreated album will one day become an object of research and cult as much as if not more than other albums. It is not a “road to”, it is something unique and not even a duplicate, the term “preview” is the right one.
At this point in Panini the challenge, next year, to make something different and original, with all due respect to us traditionalists.
The criticisms, if anything, are other and are an entirely Italian matter, namely the lack (as it seems) of the special 120-sachet box on sale in most of the other major European countries. It is not very edifying to see how often Italian collectors are considered to be Serie B compared to other countries, often considering the little attention paid to making extra products also for the Italian market.
(EN)