AN ARTIST and football fan has combined both his passions and landed himself in the finals of an international art competition.

Adebanji Alade, 35, of Waterfield Close, Belvedere, has made it onto a shortlist of 22 for the Barclays' Finding Fan Gogh football art competition.

The competition attracted more than 1,600 entries from 28 countries, including Australia, the USA and China.

Barclays, which sponsors the English Premiership, launched the competition in November last year.

Entries included photographs, computer generated images and collages as well as paintings and drawings.

A dedicated Arsenal fan, Mr Alade has been drawing pictures of Arsenal players since he was six. He is married with a two-year-old son, Joshua, who has inherited his passion for art.

A panel of judges, including chairman of the Arts Council of England Sir Christopher Frayling, artist Sir Peter Blake, Barclays marketing director Jim Hytner and West Ham striker Terry Sheringham, will select the winner at the end of this week.

The winner will not only receive a £10,000 prize, but their artwork will also be displayed on a billboard outside their favourite Premiership ground.

Five runners-up will each receive £1,000.