This goat by artist Dante Cruz steps onto the field in a green jersey, purple shorts, and cleats, cradling a ball against his chest like he just won it back at midfield.
The stance is planted and ready, legs shoulder-width apart, the posture a player takes before a free kick. Graduated green horns curl back over a finely dotted red face, the mouth open in bright pink. Coral flowers climb the jersey sleeves, and across the back, a black panel features a step-fret pattern in gold and silver, drawn from the geometric textile designs found throughout the Oaxaca valley. The shorts shift to fine pink pinstripes over violet, and each panel of the ball is its own small composition, scrollwork, waves, a quiet spiral, all outlined in gold.
With the World Cup in Mexico this year, a goat in cleats holding a ball is good company to have on the shelf!
