KOLKATA: As the FIFA World Cup, the biggest spectacle on earth, got underway in Mexico, football has found an unusual place of celebration in the collection of Debkumar Pal, a member of the Numismatic Society of Calcutta and the International Bank Note Society.Pal has assembled 15 bank notes from across the world that feature football, footballers, stadiums or major tournaments, turning his collection into a compact history of how the game has travelled beyond the pitch and into national currency.Among the most striking pieces in his collection is the £5 note issued by Ireland’s Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland on November 26, 2006, featuring George Best. The note was released to mark the first anniversary of Best’s passing. Best, one of football’s most gifted players, was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968 and later came fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. Only one million pieces of the commemorative note were printed, and collectors acquired the entire run within hours of release.Another major highlight is Russia’s 100-ruble polymer banknote, issued to mark the country’s hosting of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The note features legendary Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin diving for a ball, alongside the image of a boy holding a football. Yashin remains one of the most iconic goalkeepers in world football and the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or.Scotland figures in Pal’s football-themed collection through a limited-edition £20 note issued by the Bank of Scotland, featuring Scott McTominay’s memorable overhead kick against Denmark. The collectible note was created to celebrate the Scottish men’s national football team’s qualification for the World Cup.Pal’s collection also includes Qatar’s commemorative 22-riyal polymer banknote, issued to honour the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The unusual denomination represents the year of the tournament. It also holds special significance because it was the first time a host country’s central bank printed the official FIFA World Cup logo on legal tender.From Africa, Pal has a special 100-dirham banknote issued by Bank Al-Maghrib to celebrate Morocco hosting the 35th Africa Cup of Nations. The limited-edition note features King Mohammed VI, the Kingdom’s coat of arms, the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, and a stylised football graphic, linking national identity with the continent’s premier football competition.The Maldives is represented in the collection through its MVR 5 polymer banknote, introduced in 2017. The note features an illustration of legendary national football team captain Ali “Dhagandey” Ashfaq, reflecting the country’s passion for sport and community life.These bank notes are more than currency. They are miniature sporting archives, recording moments of national pride, tournament history and footballing greatness.
