The evolution of football murals Sao Paolo, Split and Naples are the new capitals of football street art
A New York alley was recently plastered with murals to pay homage to five world-famous football legends. Graffiti used mainly for decorative purposes, which occupy the entire Mechanics Alley, under the Manhattan Bridge, and are the handiwork of a street artist who calls himself BKFoxx. The work was commissioned for the facade of "the Ground", a new indoor soccer field, and includes the monumental and hyper-realistic portraits of Franco Baresi, George Best, Johan Cruijff and Diego Aramando Maradona, to which is added the face of Sir Alex Ferguson. Even for non-football fans, the images are impressive in their sense of scale and attention to detail.
In Brazil, on the other hand, there is a fixed spectator on the stands of the Arena Brahma pitch in the favela of Jardim Peri. In addition to the kids who live in the northern district of San Paolo and wait their turn leaning against the wall to be able to play, since 2018 the playground - wedged between the numerous and overcrowded buildings in the area - is dominated by a huge mural depicting Gabriel Jesus smiling as he cheers after a goal. The work is 34 meters high and to create it it was necessary to paint the façade of twelve houses: some covered entirely in green, blue and yellow, form the backdrop to the bust of the Manchester City striker and the Brazilian national team, while mime the gesture of a phone call that he himself declared was dedicated to his mother Vera Lucia.
A similar situation also for Inter, who in 2018 had "Interwall" created, a mural celebrating 110 years of Nerazzurri history. For each decade the fans have been able to choose the most iconic player, and among others the faces of Ronaldo, Javier Zanetti, Beppe Bergomi, Giuseppe Meazza and Giacinto Facchetti appear. However, the work suffered a fate typical of street paintings: the drawing was in fact smeared after just three days, with red paint, which could suggest a Milanist origin behind the gesture.