The ECB is letting the public vote on new euro banknotes, meanwhile two designers have their own answer: six football icons from Cristiano Ronaldo to Kylian Mbappé. A concept that raises a bigger question.
The European Central Bank recently unveiled ten designs for the next generation of euro banknotes and opened them up to a public vote. On the ballot are the themes „European culture," featuring figures like Beethoven, Maria Callas and Marie Curie, and „Rivers and birds," with nature motifs.
Designers Mattia Zingale and Guglielmo Taveggia, however, made up their minds long ago, and their answer looks rather different.
Their unofficial concept puts six European football icons on the notes: Zinédine Zidane, Francesco Totti, Kylian Mbappé, Johan Cruyff, Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland. From €5 to €200, each note is dedicated to a different icon.
Ronaldo, Mbappé, Haaland & co. instead of Beethoven: the football concept for euro notes
The designers' idea follows the logic of the official culture designs and simply swaps the discipline. Where the ECB honours composers, scientists and polymaths, Zingale and Taveggia turn to figures who have shaped Europe's everyday culture for decades. The selection runs from Cruyff through Zidane and Totti to Ronaldo, Mbappé and Haaland.
The concept raises a question along the way: isn't football already part of Europe's shared culture? Few things connect the continent across languages and borders as naturally as this sport.
Mbappé on the banknote: the online debate over the new euro notes
The idea doesn't come entirely out of nowhere. Since the ECB unveiled its designs, countless alternative motifs have circulated online, ranging from ironic suggestions to genuine wishes. Mbappé, in particular, keeps coming up. The 2018 World Cup winner is seen by many as a symbol of a diverse, modern Europe.
The odds for the football notes are admittedly slim: until 21 September 2026, people across Europe can vote on the ten official designs, with the ECB Governing Council making the final decision towards the end of the year. Until then, Zingale and Taveggia's concept remains exactly what it is: a thought experiment that would look rather good in your wallet.
