IT was once the craze that could be found in most school playgrounds across Britain.

Swapping football stickers with your friends for that year’s Football League album was a regular playtime activity as cries of “got, got, got, got, need” rang out as you showed off your duplicates.

Every four years, there was a double dose of football sticker fun – the World Cup.

With this year’s tournament in Brazil not far away now, the 2014 World Cup sticker album has been launched.

Daily Echo: Jay Rodriguez was included in the latest England squad

Jay Rodriguez will hope Roy Hodgson follows Topps' example

And while a number of Saints players sweat on whether they will make England manager Roy Hodgson’s squad for Brazil, the team behind the album have already made up their minds.

Three of Saints’ four England possibles have made the cut in Topps’ “official England World Cup sticker collection”.

Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez are all in Topps’ 33-man England squad.

There’s no place for West Ham’s Andy Carroll – the man Lambert is up against for a place on the plane to Brazil – and Saints teenager Luke Shaw, pictured left, is also not included.

Daily Echo: LUKE SHAW: Has he played his way into World Cup contention?

Luke Shaw has not made it in

There are two other Saints in the 385-strong sticker collection – Japan’s Maya Yoshida and Croatia’s Dejan Lovren.

But there is no place for ex-Saints striker Dani Osvaldo in Topps’ Italy squad, though only 11 players have been selected.

Rod Pearson, marketing director at Topps, believes the stickers can bring families together ahead of this summer’s extravaganza.

“Topps is inviting generations of football fans up and down the land to join forces and share precious moments as they show true support for the nation’s squad,” he said.

 

Do you still have any of your old football sticker books? Call Newsdesk on 023 80424 522