Vietnam's football enthusiast Nguyen Tam's World Cup mascots are quite eggy

Russia World Cup mascot Zabivakas made from eggshells by Nguyen Tam. Pic/AFP

Football scarves, shirts and... eggshell art? World Cup swag has taken a quirky turn in Vietnam where a retired schoolteacher is making mascot memorabilia from hollowed-out eggs, meticulously crafted by hand.

Nguyen Thanh Tam, 67, spends hours every day making the models, driven by his football fanaticism - a passion shared by millions across Vietnam glued to the World Cup since the tournament kicked off in Russia earlier this month. Most of his tiny statues are of tournament mascot Zabivaka, a wolf in sports goggles kicking a football, and he has models of football heroes Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the works.

"Over the past few years, I have been spending my time making football mascots with eggshells as a way for me to show my love for football," said Tam, speaking before a basket of eggs in his Ho Chi Minh City home.

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