Panini Football 90 (UK)

 

Panini Football 90 is the official sticker album dedicated to British football for the 1989/1990 season, covering both the English First Division and the Scottish Premier Division. As a direct continuation of the late-1980s Panini style, the collection combines a clean and structured team presentation with a few creative inserts and a strong link to international football, particularly the upcoming 1990 FIFA World Cup.

The album opens with an introductory page featuring four award winners from 1989. These are Mark Hughes, PFA Player of the Year, Paul Merson, Young Player of the Year, Theo Snelders, Scottish Player of the Year, and Billy McKinlay, Scottish Young Player of the Year. This introduction mirrors the structure of the previous edition.

The English First Division clubs are then presented in alphabetical order. All 20 teams are included, each with 15 stickers across two pages. The layout is slightly more compact than the previous year but remains clear and effective, featuring the metallic club badge, the team photo, the manager, and a set of 12 player portrait stickers. 

At the end of the English section, the album introduces a special two-page segment dedicated to the upcoming World Cup. This section contains 17 stickers, including a metallic sticker of the FIFA World Cup Trophy and 16 action stickers celebrating legendary figures from past tournaments. Among the players featured are icons such as Pelé, Johan Cruyff, Eusébio, and Dino Zoff. This section serves both as a tribute to World Cup history and as a build-up to the tournament in Italy.

The album then resumes with the Scottish Premier Division, presenting all 10 clubs in alphabetical order. Each team follows the same structure as the English clubs, with 15 stickers diaplayed over two pages.

The final section of the album is titled “Who said that?”, a light and original feature dedicated to British football commentators. It includes 8 stickers portraying caricatures of well-known commentators, accompanied by famous quotes printed directly on the album page. 

In addition to the main album, this release also includes a separate poster titled “Europe’s Finest”, designed to be completed with 30 metallic stickers of club badges from major European teams such as Real Madrid CF and FC Bayern München. This extra feature broadens the scope of the collection beyond British football and connects it to the wider European scene.

From a sporting perspective, the 1989/90 season saw Liverpool F.C. claim their 18th league title, while Gary Lineker of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. finished as top scorer with 24 goals. In Scotland, Rangers F.C. won the championship, and John Robertson of Heart of Midlothian F.C. was the league’s top scorer with 17 goals.

Back cover of the album

The poster "Europe's Finest" with 30 metallic club badge stickers

Liverpool legend Ian Rush and Villa's star David Platt

Ian Wright (225 caps and 90 goals for Crystal Palace) moved to Arsenal in 1991; Teddy Sheringham (220 caps and 93 goals for Millwall) moved to Manchester United in 1997

The top scorer of the Scottish Premier Division John Robertson (19 goals), and Ally McCoist (14 goals)

The stickers of Pelé and Johan Cruyff from the World Cup section 

Album details

Full name: Football 90

Publisher: Panini

Leagues: 

• English First Division 
• Scottish Premier Division

Season: 1989/1990

Number of clubs and stickers per club:

• English First Division (20 clubs, 15 stickers)
• Scottish Premier Division (10 clubs, 15 stickers)

Other sections:

• Winners 1989 (4 stickers)
• The World Cup (17 stickers)
• Who said that? (8 stickers)

Extra: Poster "Europe's finest" (30 stickers)

Update: No

Checklist: click here

Total number of stickers (album): 479 + poster (30 stickers)