This photo dates from around the mid-1950s and shows Raymond Kopa playing for Stade Reims against Racing Club de Paris.
Kopa (or to give him his full name Raymond Kopaszewski) was one of France's stars at the time and played in the first European Cup Final
in 1956 for Reims against Real Madrid. Three years later he appeared in another Real v Reims European Cup Final, but this time as a Real player.
I really like this photo. It dates from the early 1900s and shows "The Welsh Wizard", Billy Meredith playing for Manchester United against QPR
in the 1908 Charity Shield. Considering the camera technology at the time this is an astonishing picture - a real all action, clear photo,
from a time when most football photos were posed against a backdrop, or a wide-angle view of a field of play, with no clear detail.
And before anyone writes to me to complain - QPR at the time DID wear green and white hoops. They changed to their now familiar blue and white hoops a few years later.
This chap is Charlie Roberts, who played for Manchester United in the early 1900s. Obviously he's in United's away kit from the time,
but what makes this photo look so modern is the shortness of his shorts. Apparently he caused quite a scandal at the time,
when most players wore "football knickers" down to the knees.
"The Galloping Major", Ferenc Puskas, in a very famous photo prior to the 1953 match at Wembley between England and Hungary, the Magical Magyars,
who condemned England to their first defeat to a foreign team on home soil, a 6-3 display.
Hungary wore "wine-red" jerseys at the time, and while the rest of the team had predominantly green socks, Puskas wore what look like spats.
This was one of my first attempts, and I'm still rather pleased with it. It's from the 1923 FA Cup Final, between West Ham and Bolton,
while the famous White Horse was trying to clear the pitch of the bumper crowd that turned up.
Another one of my early efforts that I've posted elsewhere on this site. What I like about this is that Wigan Athletic have used this coloured version
quite a few times in the matchday programme (without any acknowledgement may I add!) and it has almost become a fact that this photo was originally coloured.
I'm afraid it wasn't - it's my Photoshopping again. And I can prove it, because there's one slight error. And I know where it is :)
Tangerine isn't a colour much used in football, but there is one team, and one player, with whom it is inextricably linked - Sir Stanley Matthews.
Not a particularly good original photo, but the colour enhances it a bit.
This is a superstar of his era, that most people now will never have heard of. John "Jack" Devey was captain of Aston Villa,
whose nice warm ribbed jersey he wears, when they won the FA Cup twice and the
League title five times between 1894 and 1900, including the "Double" in 1896-1897 season.
This is one of the most famous games in football history, but it's incredibly difficult to find a good quality picture.
Here Eintracht Frankfurt score one of their goals in the 1960 European Cup Final at Hampden against the all-conquering Real Madrid.
The game ended 7-3 to the Spaniards. It must also be said that Real didn't exactly tax my colouring skills!
This is Harry Wake who in the 1925 FA Cup Final made a dreadful mistake while playing for Cardiff City
that cost them the match against Sheffield United. He was vilified for that - so much so that in 1932 he joined Wigan Athletic!
The name Bill Shankly conjures up pictures of a dour Liverpool manager, but some of our younger readers may not know that he was a player himself.
A hardman left-half for Preston before and just after the War. In this picture he is playing for Preston North End in the 1946/1947 season.
With the current vogue for Man United fans to wear the green and gold of Newton Heath, I thought I'd include an original. This is Sam Black, and the photograph dates back to 1885.
The 1920 FA Cup Final was played at Stamford Bridge between Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town. Here Huddersfield defend their goal. Villa won 1-0 with a goal in extra time.
Portsmouth may have their current problems, but just think how bad it could have been if their players still turned out in pink and maroon
and posed with hand on waist for photos like this chap above. This is from 1905 and is Dan Cunliffe.
Just to prove that you can even add colour to a photograph of snow!! You don't see scenes like this anymore,
as undersoil heating means that lines marked out in the snow are a thing of the past. In this January 1926 encounter Man United have
their white shirts with a red V, while Arsenal wear their dark red shirts of the time - the famous white sleeves came a few years later.
Claret and blue again - and a green international cap. Aston Villa? West Ham? Burnley? No - Woolwich Arsenal!! And the green cap? Wales.
This is another superstar of his era, that would have most people now scratching their heads - Caesar Jenkyns in a photo dating from 1895.
And as this is a Wigan football site, let's go back to 1923/1924 season when Wigan Borough were a League team.
Here we have Len Armitage wearing the red and white kit that Borough wore. It was only after World War II
that Wigan Athletic adopted their current blue and white, purely because in the midst of rationing
they were the only colours they could get.
To see what other colourising I've done try pressing this link.
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If you like them, or have any photos you think could do with colour adding then e-mail me at georgechilvers@tiscali.co.uk