Matthias, aka Mats Drawing, is an emerging artist who connected his passion for art to the one for sports and football in particular.

Paintings

Have you ever seen such custom jerseys while scrolling through Instagram or TikTok?

Whether you have or not, keep reading, because a few days ago we had the pleasure of (virtually) sitting down with the mind and hand behind these pieces of art.

Mats’ magic craft has been on the rise in the last couple of years, through insane art pieces and unique collaborations, so we wanted to know more about his story while discussing these passions.

Let’s Get Started

Hey Mats, first of all thanks a lot for taking the time and speaking to onetwo. Why don’t we start from the basics and introduce yourself?

My pleasure guys, I really appreciate your interest in my work! My name is Matthias, I am 25 years old and I live in France, to be precise in the city of Rennes. In my everyday life I am an illustrator artist.

Wonderful! Let’s keep warming up then. What is your first memory when you think about football?

Tough questions, but if I have to choose one I think my first memorable memory was Chelsea-Monaco in the 2004 Champions League.

Oftentimes I used to go to a bar with my father to watch the Champions League matches, and that's exactly where my crush for Chelsea was born. I was 7-8 years old at that time and Chelsea was a team filled with class players (Terry, Lampard, Gudjohnsen, Crespo). It was love at first sight.

We can definitely second-that, it was a great team! Now, here at onetwo we like to talk about those stories that connect football to different facets of mainstream sports and culture, so let’s talk about your story. How did you start creating these pieces of art and which was the first one?

I started customizing about five years ago, and the first things I worked on were jeans jackets. Then, as I practised, I told myself “you know what? I could actually paint on any item, surface or material”, and the idea of painting on football shirts came to me.

From there I did several different tests, but the first "official" jersey couldn’t be anything else than a Chelsea one (of 2012), on which I painted one of the best strikers in the history of football: Didier Drogba.

Artistic Subject

As the saying goes “You never forget your first crush” right? That Drogba jersey is a beauty indeed.

Let’s talk a bit about the creative process behind your work: what happens exactly when you think about how to custom a jersey? And do the characteristics of the player influence your thought process?

The process I developed for jersey painting is composed of several stages. Let me walk you through it:

Look (sometimes even for long hours) for all the photos that I find interesting to reproduce. Once I have a good bunch, I sort them out.
Then, I make several photo-montages until I find the right composition, the right background, the right colours, and so on. This will be the drawing I’ll paint.
Now the painting begins. I start by creating a white paint background on the shirt that serves as the base (like a canva), and while I wait for it to dry, I take a piece of paper and draw the player's sketch.
Once the paint has dried out, I transfer the sketch onto the jersey using a tracing sheet. Then I start the first shading and lights with paint until I get to the final result.

When it comes to the players I’m portraying, yes, their characteristics and personality can influence the painting.

For example, if I’m painting a striker, like I recently did with Haaland, I will look more for images of him celebrating, because those are moments filled with emotions and so the context and expressions are more interesting.

That’s really interesting, and we can definitely see the long hours of research and work you put in each of your art piece. You’ve done many customisations as of today, do you actually have one which you’re most proud of?

To be honest I don't have a favourite jersey in particular, but I must say I'm really really proud of the last big project I did with Messi and Maradona's shirt for the World Cup.

You’re an Artist

Wow, this is jaw-dropping. It should be exposed in a museum in Buenos Aires! With results like these, did any player or club reach out to you to realise a specific project or request?

Thank you! And yes, in these years I was able to work with several players such as Koulibaly, Loic Remy, St-Maximin, as well as various clubs of the likes of AS Monaco, Feyenoord, Rennes and also FC Barcelona.

Anecdote

That’s crazy! You got some real satisfaction there, congratulations. And was working on these projects different than usual? Tell us about a crazy story you experienced connected to one of them!

Ok ok, I have one. So, I mentioned Koulibaly asked me to create something for him. About a year ago, I went to Naples to give the two jerseys I customised to him. He was supposed to invite me to a Napoli game while I was there, which he did. Really nice of him no?

Well, on top of that, he booked me a private driver for the whole duration of my stay, and then he invited me to eat with him at the restaurant after the match. It was pretty crazy to share a moment like that with such a huge player!

No way, this is indeed crazy. I’m jealous! Before we let you go, what exciting projects do you have coming up?

I have ideas for future projects, especially now that the end of the season is approaching and there’s also the Champions League. But I can’t and won't say too much haha, soon you’ll see!

We thank Mats for his time and we can’t wait to see what’s coming his way. We genuinely loved talking to him and getting to know his incredible talent and how he connected his passions for art and football.

Check his insane work and make sure to follow his journey here: @mats.drawing

In Focus: Mats Drawing

A Tale of Two Nations

Outside the Box: Dayne St. Clair