Click here for this entire series of “essential old school aesthetics”, already including specials on the gritty Belgian first division of the early 90s; in the studio; in the stadium; and the 1970s. But now we turn to a quite important, but all too forgotten, aspect of the game: the goalposts, in all their shapes and sizes.

Pre-Historic:

At the turn of the century, a rickety contraption holds up the nets in the ground of Rotherham Town vs Thornhill, 1902:

But classic, chunky squares are already at Olympic Stadium, Stockholm – Denmark vs Great Britain, Olympics final, 04/07/1912:

Quite modern “round” goal posts at Estadio Centenario, Montevideo – Uruguay vs Argentina, World Cup final, 30/07/1930:

Familiar sticks at Wembley Stadium, London – Milan vs Benfica, European Cup final, 22/05/1963:

The 1970s:

By the 70s, squares goals were very much in fashion, accompanied by “rust red”  connectors at Ibrox Park, Glasgow – Rangers FC vs Celtic FC, First Division, 1972:

The connectors were curvier at Heysel Stadium, Brussels – Bayern Munich vs Atletico Madrid, European Cup final, 17/05/1974:

On the opposite end of the spectrum, angular as you can get at Boleyn Ground, London – West Ham United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, First Division, 16/11/1974:

Wide, wide German squares at Müngersdorfer Stadion, Köln – FC Köln – Borussia Mönchengladbac, Bundesliga, 1974/75:

Squares also in the Netherlands at Heracles Almelo vs AFC Ajax 1974/75:

Slanting dark nets with poles and another wide goal, but thinner posts at Parc des Princes, Paris – AS Saint-Étienne vs RC Lens, Coupe de France final, 14/06/1975:

Square and far narrower over at De Meer Stadion, Amsterdam – AFC Ajax vs Feyenoord Rotterdam, Eredivisie, 01/11/1975:

Another look at the stern and sturdy Ibrox Park, Glasgow- Rangers FC vs AS Saint-Étienne, European Cup second round-2nd leg, 05/11/1975:

Very thin in comparison at Burden Park, Bolton – Bolton Wanderers vs Newcastle United, FA Cup fifth round, 14/02/1976:

Square and badly dipping in the muddle at Stadion Georgi Asparuhov, Sofia – Bulgaria vs France, World Cup qualifier, 09/10/1976:

This one is surely the pick of the bunch, two goals at the same end due to the Canadian team ground-sharing with North American football, Empire Field, Vancouver – Canada vs Mexico, World Cup qualifier, 10/10/1976:

Some Caribbean flavours with unusual brackets and sloping yellow net in Port-au-Prince – Haiti vs Cuba, World Cup qualifier, 11/12/1976:

Another major highlight, unbelievably great zebra posts (also a slight dip) and general great ground at Empire Stadium, Gzira – Malta vs East Germany, World Cup qualifier, 02/04/1977:

Nothing too crazy at Stade du 28 Septembre, Conakry, Guinea – Hafia FC vs Ghana, friendly, 1977:

Elsewhere in Africa it’s a different story with very unusual brackets plus black paint at bottom of the posts at Stade El Menzah, Tunis – USSR vs Mexico, World Youth Championships, 10/07/1977:

And more rarely-seen right-angle brackets with orange nets at Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa – Ethiopia vs Uganda, friendly, 30/10/1977:

Back in France, black paint at the foot of the posts also at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne –  AS Saint-Étienne vs  ???, 1977:

On the thin side with arching connectors at Stadio Comunale, Turin – Torino vs Bastia, UEFA Cup third round-2nd leg, 07/12/1977:

And Some more of the (apparently) thinnest to date with classic brackets at Hardturm, Zürich – Grasshopper Club Zürich vs Bastia, UEFA Cup semi-final 1st leg, 29/03/1978:

More black paint, here clandestinely signifying the crimes of the host nation’s regime at Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires – Argentina vs Netherlands, World Cup final, 25/06/1978:

Reliable squares in the east at Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest – Steaua Bucharest vs Monaco, European Cup preliminary round-2nd leg 30/08/1978:

Some of the deepest nets we’ve seen with angular connectors at Lokomotyv Stadium, Donetsk – Shaktar Donetsk vs Monaco, UEFA Cup first round-1st leg, 19/09/1979:

And more trustworthy Romanian squares with far shallower nets at Stadionul Dinamo, Bucharest – FC Dinamo București vs Eintracht Frankfurt, UEFA Cup second round-1st leg, 24/10/1979:

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