The man with the world's largest collection of Panini sticker albums

Got, got... need!

Few childhood sensations came close to the feeling of ripping open a rectangular packet of stickers emblazoned with the face of a footballer you've been desperately tracking down.

Likewise, there were few horrors that equalled the dreaded dud pack, swamped with unswappable 'swaps'.

Many schoolkids (and full-grown adults) are set to enjoy that feeling again following the release of the World Cup 2018 sticker album today.

For most, collecting football stickers was (or still is) a hobby, but for Gianni Bellini it is a way of life.

The Italian is the proud owner of almost 3,000 completed Panini albums.

A small portion of Gianni Bellini's sticker album collection

Like most sticker collecting enthusiasts, Bellini first caught the bug at a young age.

"I first held Panini stickers in my hands as a child aged between ten and twelve years old. From that moment on, I have never stopped collecting."

He isn't lying.

From a single packets of stickers in the 1980s, Bellini's collection has grown to a mammoth 2,956 albums, 2,810 of which are complete.

Gianni's favourite sticker albums

Calciatori Italia 1972-73: I remember that for having the missing sticker that I needed to complete this collection (the player was Ivano Bordon), I exchanged 500 of my double stickers.

Football Belgio 1972-73: Another album of the years 1972-1973 which I am fond of is the first album that Panini made for the foreign leagues.

Europa 1980: A very important collection, the first one that has ever been made for this kind of event (the European Championship).