Corinthian ProStars
Club Gold
In February of 2000 Corinthian launched the Corinthian Collectors Club, with the membership packages containing exclusive product which was not available in any retail store, and it was not possible to purchase the World Greats from Corinthian direct either, they were only available as part of the membership package.
There were 3 different levels of membership which were Silver, Gold and Platinum, with different figures available in each level of membership.
Set A
The 4 Club Gold World Greats figures which were included in the Silver membership and made up Set A, could not have been better representations of a world great, with the line up containing arguably the 2 if not 3 best players ever! I am of course talking about Pele, Maradona and Best, oh and Dalglish was in there too.
This was the first and only ever Corinthian release of the legendary Pele, with the sculpt being a spot on likeness for the Brazil icon and legend. While it is a shame we never got another Pele figure (a ProStars Elite figure was planned but cancelled) I feel that has aided in maintaining the collectability of this World Greats figure. The price it sells for on the secondary market has fluctuated throughout the years but it has always remained one of the most sought after figures, and no collection could ever be complete without a Pele figure.
Often controversial icon Diego Maradona made his debut as a Corinthian football figure, in the famous home kit of Argentina. This sculpt would only be used 1 more time, which was the Roadshow special in Argentina away kit. A very fine sculpt of Diego and I have never been able to decide if I like this sculpt or the ProStars Elite sculpt more but I feel the Elite one just edges it.
Manchester United legend George Best got his first ever Corinthian figure release, painted in his Northern Ireland home kit. A very fine sculpt and one which Corinthian used for all future releases of Best, the only exception being the ProStars Elite set which was a brand new sculpt.
Completing World Greats Set A is Kenny Dalglish in his Scotland home kit, a very fine sculpt of a true legend of the game, however it was of course over shadowed by the enormity of the other 3 in the set, as would any player be. This sculpt of Dalglish would be used for subsequent releases of the player.
Set B
The 4 Club Gold World Greats figures which were included in the Gold membership and made up Set B were all first time releases and technical maestros of the game.
Dutch duo of Marco Van Basten and Johan Cruyff entered the Corinthian collection, with the Van Basten sculpt getting future ProStars releases, however this player sculpt of Cruyff would never be released again, as the Ballon D'Or and Elite figures would be new sculpts. The Cruyff has always been in demand and sought after figure.
Michel Platini made his Corinthian debut, in the home kit of France, and like Van Basten this was a very fine sculpt and would be used for future releases of the player, most notably in Juventus home kit as part of the World Club Legends series.
Midfield enforcer Franz Beckenbauer, or 'Der Kaiser' as he was nicknamed, was released as a Corinthian football figure for the first time, an excellent sculpt that would only be used once again ,which was in West Germany away kit as part of the International Tournament Greats series.
Set C
The 4 Club Gold World Greats figures which were included in the Gold membership and made up Set C were all first time sculpts and all were true greats of the game.
Legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoff is often listed as the best keeper in football history, while that is up for debate, what is not debatable is the quality of the sculpt and would be used the future releases of the player in the ProStars range, both in the World Club Legends series and in the Juventus Legends team pack.
Hungarian icon Ferenc Puskas entered the Corinthian collection, with this sculpt only ever being used once more, as part of the International Tournament Greats series, both figures are rare and sought after, with the only other release of Puskas being in the ProStars Elite series.
The sculpt of Scotland and Manchester United legend Denis Law was a very fine one, with it being used for all further releases of the player.
Completing Set D is for me the standout figure of the set, Alfredo Di Stefano painted in the home kit of Argentina. An excellent sculpt of a true icon of the game, he would only ever be released on more time in the ProStars Series and that was in the International Tournament Greats series. This Club Gold World Greats figure has really appreciated in value and rivals Zico in terms of both price, rarity and demand within the entire Club Gold World Greats collection.
All 4 were released in a Club Gold World Greats window box, on a Gold base and coming with collector card.
The figures and boxes are in excellent structural condition, however they have significant discolouration as can be seen in the photos, after years of being displayed in a cabinet, exposed to sunlight.
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