David Sque - Roy Of The Rovers - Raich Carter, Sunderland AFC 1936

The Shared Story — Two Special Editions by David Sque for World Vintage Colours

In 2017, artist David Sque, best known for his work on Roy of the Rovers, produced two special edition illustrated football prints exclusively for World Vintage Colours.

The first depicted Sunderland AFC during their 1935–36 league championship season, capturing Raich Carter in action as Sunderland moved toward what remains the club’s most recent Football League title.

The second illustrated Celtic FC’s victory in the 1967 European Cup Final, showing the decisive moment as Celtic overcame Internazionale in Lisbon to become the first British club to win the competition.

Although the two scenes represent different eras and competitions, they were conceived as companion pieces, each focusing on a defining achievement in British football history and rendered in a classic narrative illustration style more commonly associated with mid-20th-century football art and comics.

As privately commissioned works, produced in very small original print runs and never released through Roy of the Rovers or any other commercial or syndicated channels, these two images are probably among the rarest David Sque / Roy of the Rovers–associated football illustrations ever produced.

At the time of their original release, both prints received limited publicity and circulated quietly among collectors. They are now being reissued by World Vintage Colours, presented to a new audience with the benefit of renewed interest in football’s visual, cultural, and illustrative heritage.

Together, the two prints form a matched pair: one marking the pinnacle of an English league campaign in the inter-war years, the other commemorating a landmark European triumph three decades later — each captured by an artist whose work helped shape how generations first encountered football on the printed page.

1. Sunderland & Raich Carter — Champions of England, 1936

In 1936, Sunderland AFC reached the summit of English football for the sixth time, securing the Football League title in a season defined by authority, style, and attacking confidence. Central to that triumph was Raich Carter, one of the most influential footballers of the inter-war period.

Carter was not merely Sunderland’s inside-forward; he was its conductor. Elegant yet forceful, he combined tactical intelligence with technical grace, dictating the tempo of matches at a time when English football was increasingly physical and unforgiving. His understanding of space, timing, and movement made him the creative heartbeat of a side that swept aside rivals with assurance rather than brute force.

David Sque’s illustration captures Carter in his natural element — not in celebration, but in the decisive moment of action, as Sunderland press home the authority that would define their 1935–36 campaign. The packed terraces, the rigid goal frame, and the urgent body language of defenders all evoke the intensity of pre-war league football, when titles were won through long campaigns rather than single finals.

For Sunderland supporters, this image represents more than a goal or a season. It depicts the club’s last league championship to date, a reminder of an era when Sunderland stood among the giants of the English game — confident, respected, and feared. Carter himself would later lead the club to FA Cup glory in 1937, cementing his place as one of Wearside’s greatest ever figures.

This print is not nostalgia for its own sake. It is a visual record of Sunderland at the height of their powers, and of a footballer whose influence extended far beyond the scoreboard.

Product details:

• You will only pay shipping/postage for 1 item, no matter how many items you purchase.
• Discounts are given for multiple purchases.
• Size: A3, A4, A5
• Single Sided
• Paper: 400gsm premium art stock
• Print quality: Museum-grade, high-resolution
• Finish: Unframed
• Watermark shown in images does NOT appear on the final print
• Carefully packaged for safe delivery

A striking piece of football history — ideal for collectors, historians, and lovers of our national game.

Any issues please contact me at paul@worldvintagecolours.com by clicking the hyperlink and I will get back to you ASAP.