THE big day is nearly upon us, and the sports geek in me craves a stocking full of sporting quirks to ogle over on Christmas morning while sipping bucks fizz and gnawing smoked salmon sarnies.

Besides that revelation of excessively middle-class festive frolics in the Smart Alex household, what’s really telling is just how much of a big kid I become at the thought of personalised football figurines or opening a pair of pants with the Spurs badge on.

I love it all, apart from those oversized Sport Direct mugs, that is.

Ever since I could count I’ve been obsessed with stats – from top try scorers to league tables and international caps – and once I learned to read I was equally amazed by books, namely sports autobiographies and generally the more obscure star the better.

And I’ve read some great books this year; Mike Tyson’s Undisputed Truth gave a fascinating look at the life of the youngest heavyweight champion of the world, while The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, by American author Joe McGinniss, is a timeless classic.

The world is also starting to become accustomed to great sports movies, too. Producers are proving you don’t need a cast packed with World Cup winners, I’m thinking Pele, Bobby Moore and Ossie Ardilles in Escape to Victory, to conjure up a hit.

Undoubtedly the best for me this year was Jonny Owen’s I Believe in Miracles, the story of Nottingham Forest’s 1979 European Cup victory.

But an obsession that was bred on Panini stickers and Merlin Premier League albums, spurred by ‘big head' Corinthian Prostars and sustained on coins, programmes, scarves and obscure South American shirts has now stumbled upon sporting art.

And what a great idea for a present.

I’m a huge fan of Dan Leydon’s football illustrations, which capture iconic players and moments in the talented Irish artist’s unique-style prints.

Then there is Subbuteo Art. Yes kids, that game we used to play to replicate the footballing world before computer consoles generated hours of button bashing on FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer.

On Twitter, at @SubbuteoArt, you can request your own favourite sporting scenes and have them immortalised in Subbuteo figures.

Finally, with a nod to perhaps the finest football highlights reel of all time, if you’ve always dreamed of your sporting hero as Lego, then check out minifigs.me – you won’t be disappointed.