For football fans growing up in the early 2000s, Pro Evolution Soccer was the computer game of choice. The gaming franchise will forever have a spot in the history of football culture, having raised the bar in terms of what to expect from a football game.
It was a golden era of football, with some true legends of the game competing for the limelight. A few of them though, had a secret edge. Amongst all those star names, was a group of players who were even more elite; a club so exclusive that only the cream of the crop was admitted entry… by virtue of a 99 stat in their attribute list.
The project was realised by Scott McRoy and brought to life by 32 of the world’s most popular football illustrators (including myself). It was written by PES enthusiast Mikey Traynor, and sought to honour every player privileged enough to have been inducted into Club 99.
The player I was selected to draw was Juve legend Igor Tudor, whose own 99 attribute was ‘balance’. The project was ultimately collated into a hardback book, of which only 99 copies were made… it sold out in under 12 hours.
Below is my own submission plus some of my favourites from the other artists involved… although to be fair the book is crammed full of glorious illustrations, whichever page you turn to.
The portfolio of Steve Welsh 