The Royal Mail is to mark The Football Association’s 150th anniversary year with a special set of stamps featuring a unique team of all-time greats.

The FA – and therefore organised football that led to the global game we know and love today – was established a century and a half ago on 26 October 1863. To commemorate this landmark year, the Football Heroes collection was devised. It features eleven players with each star name appearing on their own 1st Class stamp.

And this year also marks 140 years of the Scottish Football Association, and the Royal Mail was keen to recognise all four home nations in their final line-up.

England is represented by Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore, Bryan Robson, Kevin Keegan, John Barnes, Sir Bobby Charlton and Jimmy Greaves. The others featured are John Charles (Wales), George Best (Northern Ireland) and Dave Mackay and Denis Law (Scotland).

Overall, the eleven players selected were chosen by the Royal Mail for their outstanding record on the pitch and representation of their home countries. All are in the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame

Naturally, all eleven were leading lights for English clubs and enjoyed memorable moments in The FA Cup. It is fitting the stamps will be released on 9 May, two days before this year’s Final at Wembley Stadium.

Sir Trevor Brooking, The FA’s Director of Football Development, said: “Everyone who loves football has their favourite players from the past. It might have been one of the greats they tried to emulate in the school playground or a superstar they would idolise while watching on from the terraces as a fan.

“It is fantastic – especially in the year of The FA's 150th anniversary and the Scottish Football Association’s 140th – that Royal Mail has honoured a whole team of these heroes from across the UK.”

The stamps have been illustrated by artist Andrew Kinsman, who took existing photography of all the players, then created a composite artwork, so when the eleven stamps are placed together, they form a traditional team shot.

Andrew Hammond, Managing Director, Stamps and Collectibles at Royal Mail, said: “Across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, we’ve been lucky enough to witness some of the finest footballers to ever play the beautiful game.

“The UK has given the world some of the greatest sports and football is rightly celebrated as a national obsession. The stamps celebrate heroes of the beautiful game who excelled on the pitch at club and national level, and are rightly considered icons of the sport.

“We feel there is no more fitting tribute to the game’s 150th anniversary than this collection of football heroes on stamps.” 

The stamps launch on 9 May 2013, but fans can pre-order today by clicking here.