How micro figures became author's biggest passion

STEPPING back to the heady days of the 1990s and early 2000s, who remembers Corinthians?

- DAVID MORTON

> The book Football Crazy, Corinthians Mad! is on sale at £14

From the moment they arrived on to the scene ahead of Euro 96 with a squad of 16 sculpted miniature England players, the plastic moulded figures gained instant status as cult items among football-mad kids and obsessive collectors.

The attraction lay in the distinctive oversized heads and detailed painted kits, complete with official team badge, sponsor's logo and authentic name and numbering on the shirts. Now, the first in a series of pocket-sized expert guides to the small world of Corinthians, with its Headliners, ProStars and MicroStar figures, has been published by Conker Editions.

The author of Football Crazy, Corinthians Mad! is Craig Robinson and he just happens to be a Newcastle United fan. Born and raised in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, he didn't grow up a Scunthorpe United fan, but instead chose to follow the Toon due to a certain Ruel Fox.