See how 30 artists have paid homage to R9, “the real Ronaldo”

30 artists, illustrators and creatives from eighteen different countries have been given a brief by A Store Like 94 to celebrate Ronaldo Nazário in their own unique style to mark 30 years since the Brazilian footballer burst onto the scene. The final pieces of artwork have been gathered into a virtual exhibition, where online attendees can look through 90s inspiration, references and iconic moments of Ronaldo history.

Among the names featured in the exhibition are Joan Joao, Kamil Kowalczyk, Deadly Prey, 75070, Marcello Martinelli, Indigo Indigo and 16Bit Goals. “The list itself formed pretty organically over six months,” says Josh Steeples, the founder of A Store Like 94. “Originally it was just going to be nine artists but quickly snowballed after I realised it was thirty years since the phenomenon burst onto the scene.”

The approaches range from hand-drawn portraiture to 16-bit animations. Artists were encouraged to experiment with new mediums, painting by hand instead of digital, for example. “30 seemed the right amount of artists needed to celebrate one of history’s best – R9 is a real modern day game changer, he’s not celebrated enough in my opinion,” says Josh.

Perhaps best known for its tapestries, A Store Like 94 makes bootleg football memorabilia. Josh sees his work as sitting amongst a growing creative community producing work that intersects with football culture. “It’s a bit of an underground mycelium network of football activity that in my personal opinion puts out much more original material than the mainstream football world. So the main highlight from the exhibition for me is to have been able to connect new and old artists from around the globe and making some new football friends along the way.”

You can explore the full selection of artworks virtually, or check out the related gift shop here.