Friday, July 27, 2012

Some of the best 'Trash-Talk' quotes in Sport!


Trash-talk is a form of boast or insult commonly heard in competitive situations (such as sports events). Trash-talkers are athletes who save their antics for opponents and talk trash to intimidate the opposition and by doing so attempt to put them 'off of their game.' On occasions it can also be used in a humorous spirit. Trash-talk is often characterized by use of  hyperbole, or figurative language, e.g. "You run like bambi on ice!" Puns and other wordplay are also commonly used.

Trash-talk was commonly used by the heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in the 1960's and 1970's. Since then, it has become common for boxers in particular, but also for other sportsmen to use trash-talk.

Mike Tyson:

As a trash talker, Tyson was at his best when his boxing skills were on the decline.
In one of his more memorable moments, Tyson had these words for Lennox Lewis after a warm-up fight against Lou Savarse that lasted just 38 seconds!

"I'm the best ever. I'm the most brutal and vicious, the most ruthless champion there has ever been. No one can stop me. Lennox is a conqueror? No! I'm Alexander! He's no Alexander! I'm the best ever. There’s never been anyone as ruthless as me. I'm Sonny Liston. I'm Jack Dempsey. There's no one like me. I'm from their cloth. There is no one who can match me. My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart! I want to eat his children! Praise be to Allah!"

In 2002 Lewis knocked out Tyson in the eighth round at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee, in what was, at the time, the highest-grossing pay-per-view event in history.

Scottie Pippen:

"Just remember, the mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays, Karl."

It was played on a Sunday and Chicago Bulls Scottie Pippen's 27 points in Game One of the 1997 NBA Finals paled in comparison to his one-line psych out with just 9.2 seconds left of the game - of the Utah Jazz's main man no less. After getting fouled, Utah's Karl Malone (also known as the Mailman) stepped up to the free throw line. Pippen walked up behind him and uttered that immortal taunt, and Malone missed both his free-throws, following this harsh reality check regarding mail on Sundays. The Bulls took the first game and went on to win the series.

Muhammad Ali:

"I’ll beat him so bad he’ll need a shoehorn to put his hat on." (ahead of a fight against Floyd Patterson)

On November 22, 1965, in yet another attempt to be the first to win the World Heavyweight title three times, Patterson lost to Ali by technical knockout at the end of the 12th round, going into the fight with an injured sacro-iliac joint in a bout in which Ali was clearly dominant. Ali called Patterson an "Uncle Tom" for refusing to call him Muhammad Ali (Patterson continued to call him Cassius Clay) and for this outspokenness against black muslims. Instead of scoring a quick knockout, Ali mocked, humiliated and punished Patterson throughout the fight.

Rod Marsh and Ian Botham:

When Botham took guard in an Ashes match, Marsh welcomed him to the wicket with the immortal words:

"So how's your wife and my kids?"  Botham's retort was "Wife is fine, kids are retarded"

Antonio Langham:

"His mouth is writing checks that his ass can't cash"

Defensive-back Antonio Langham for Alabama on the trash talking by the Florida quarter-back before the 1st SEC (Southeastern Conference) Championship game in 1992.

Mike Tyson: 


"I am many things. I am an animal. I am a convicted rapist, a hell-raiser, a loving father, a semi-good husband. You don't really know me."

Mike Tyson at a news conference where he cursed, jumped on a table, stripped off his shirt, complained about medication hurting his sex life and threatened to put "a (expletive) bullet" through the head of Lennox Lewis.

Michael Jordan:

In 1992, in a game against the Denver Nuggets, Jordan told rookie Dikembe Mutombo that he would shoot the free throw with his eyes closed. Before he did, he looked at Mutombo and said:

"This one’s for you."

Then he closed his eyes, hit the shot and told Mutombo:

"Welcome to the NBA."

Floyd Mayweather Jr.


"When I retire, I’ll get Ricky Hatton to wash my clothes and cut my lawn and buckle my shoes. Ricky Hatton ain’t nothing but a fat man. I’m going to punch him in his beer belly. He ain’t good enough to be my sparring partner."

In 2007, after he beat Oscar de la Hoya, Mayweather had these savage words for Ricky Hatton, the British champion, before beating Hatton in ten rounds.

Mario Balotelli:



Mario Balotelli, Italy’s hero in the Euro 2012 semi-final against Germany, is so pumped for the final, he’s talking trash via social media. He tweets the above quote to Spain defender Gerard Piqué, who dates rump-shaking pop goddess Shakira. Strong words from a guy who shags prostitutes.....and then cried when his side lost in the Final.

Muhammad Ali:

"After the fight I'm gonna build myself a pretty home and use him as a bearskin rug. Liston even smells like a bear. I'm gonna give him to the local zoo after I whup him."

And then he destroyed Sonny "The Big Bear" Liston on 25th Feruary 1964, in Miami Beach, to become the youngest boxer ever at 22, to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion.

Viv Richards and Greg Thomas:

This incident took place during a county championship match between Glamorgan and Somerset. Glamorgan paceman Thomas had beaten Richards' bat a couple of times and informed him:


"It's red, round and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering."

The very next ball Sir Issac Vivian Andrews Richards gave him the royal treament and smashed the ball out of the ground, into a nearby river - at which point he piped up:

"Greg, you know what it looks like. Now go and fetch it."

Mike Tyson 

"[He] called me a ‘rapist’ and a ‘recluse’. I’m not a recluse." (Tyson talking about writer Wallace Matthews).


There are great trash-talking athletes, and there are great trash-talking moments. Unfortunately, many one-liners used by some of these athletes were never recorded. In our day of viral video, we’re not sure if miking up every athlete would be a good idea or not. There’s no doubt, however, that doing so would provide endless hours of entertainment for the casual and not-so-casual sports fans.

Friday, July 20, 2012

All the Latest Transfer Gossip across Europe!


With pre-season already underway and the 2012/13 English domestic football season only a month away, it is safe to say the media is rife with transfer rumours!

Here is a round up of all of today’s latest transfer gossip:

Is your club involved?

Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, Arsenal, Athletic Bilbao, Fiorentina, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Swansea, Bolton, Sao Paulo, Real Madrid, Tottenham, Malaga, Lyon, Wigan, Chelsea, Porto, Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia, West Ham, Blackburn, QPR, Getafe, Reading, Sheff Wed, Hull, Fulham, Houston Dynamo, Vitesse Arnhem, Stoke, Watford, PSV Eindhoven, Southampton, Rayo Vallecano, Gillingham, West Brom, Al-Gharafa, Norwich, Leeds, Lens, Al-Sadd, Everton, Spartak Moscow, Fenerbahce, Derby, Coventry and Preston........are all caught up in the latest transfer rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus are locked in a three-way battle to sign Arsenal captain Robin van Persie. United, City and Juve are said to be happy to pay somewhere in the region of £15million but Arsenal are thought to be demanding in excess of £20million for their star player. – Press Association

Arsenal have lined up Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente (right) 27, to replace Robin Van Persie should the Dutchman leave the Gunnners – Daily Mail

Also under consideration for the potentially vacant role leading Arsenal's attack are Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetic and Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski – The Guardian

Midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski will stay at Borussia Dortmund. The German club will extend the Polish international captain’s deal for another two years until 2015 - transfermarketweb.com

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers insists there is no chance of Andy Carroll leaving the club on loan, but admits the Reds will consider any offers they receive for the striker – sportinglife.com

Liverpool are hoping to sign midfielder Joe Allen, 22, from Swansea City for £15m – Daily Star

Swansea are considering a move for Bolton midfielder Mark Davies, 24 as Liverpool intensify their efforts to sign Joe Allen - Daily Mail and The Guardian

Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo insist that they have turned down an offer from Manchester United for Lucas Moura (right). The midfield ace, who is currently in England with Brazil's Olympic squad, was reportedly the subject of a €35million (£27million) offer from the Red Devils - sportinglife.com

Real Madrid will not pay more than £27m for Luka Modric, 26, despite Tottenham revealing they will let the Croatian playmaker leave for £35m – Daily Mirror and The Guardian

Spurs are eyeing Malaga's Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla, 27, as a replacement should Modric leave White Hart Lane - talkSPORT

Tottenham have also begun negotiations to bring Lyon and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, 25, to White Hart Lane but the move has stalled as the French club are demanding £16m, £4m more than Spurs are offering – Daily Mirror, The Guardian and transfermarketweb.com

Andre Villas-Boas has received another boost ahead of the upcoming English Premier League season with the news that striker Rafael van der Vaart will remain at Spurs this year. Van der Vaart had been linked with a move away from White Hart Lane over the summer transfer window, but the 29-year-old Dutch international quashed the rumors and confirmed his desire to play under Villas-Boas next season – The Sun

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has told Chelsea to come up with £10million or forget signing Victor Moses.Whelan told ESPN: "They need to pay the brass up front - we don't want any part-exchange deals they have offered. We are not interested in picking up one of their players on loan or in part exchange. They know the price for Moses. We are looking to reach £10m” – sportinglife.com

The agent of in-demand frontman Hulk (right) claims Porto remain determined to keep the Brazilian striker out of the clutches of a European rival. Speculation regarding the Samba star is nothing new, with Porto having had to fend off regular rounds of transfer rumours. Chelsea have been monitoring his situation closely, with the Blues known to be long-time admirers of the 25-year-old – skysports.com

Manchester City and Zenit St Petersburg have been alerted to Martin Skrtel's possible availability after the defender revealed that contract extension talks with Liverpool had stalled – The Times and transfermarketweb.com

Valencia have signed the Argentinian international midfielder Fernando Gago from Real Madrid. Last season he was on loan at AS Roma - sportinglife.com and transfermarketweb.com

West Ham, Blackburn and QPR are battling it out for the signature of Getafe’s 26 year-old right-back Miguel Torres for a fee believed to be around £2m – The Guardian

Watford have agreed deals to sign Manuel Almunia and Fitz Hall. Goalkeeper Almunia and central defender Hall will arrive at Vicarage Road on free transfers after leaving Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers, respectively, this summer – skysports.com

Reading manager Brian McDermott has played down speculation that he is trying to sign veteran Italian striker Filippo Inzaghi – sportinglife.com and ESPN.co.uk

Reading manager Brian McDermott is prepared to let Michail Antonio join Sheffield Wednesday on a permanent basis for the right price after rejecting an offer for the winger – skysports.com

Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Amos believes a loan move to Hull City is just what he needs in order for his career to develop – sportinglife.com


QPR are trying to secure a work permit for Junior Hoilett (right) before signing the 22-year-old forward, who is out of contract at Blackburn. and clear the way for Jamie Mackie to go the other way to Blackburn – Daily Mail, The Guardian and Daily Mirror

QPR are looking at the Vitesse Arnhem left-back Alexander Buttner. The 23 year-old is also a target for Fulham - skysports.com

Stoke City have agreed a £1.6million fee for Houston Dynamo defender Geoff Cameron – Daily Express

PSV Eindhoven have rejected Southampton's offer for Jeremain Lens, sources at the Dutch club have confirmed. PSV and Southampton’s valuation of the striker differ. West Ham and Fulham are also thought to be interested in the PSV striker – skysports.com and The Guardian

Southampton have completed the signing of Gillingham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga on a four-year deal. The 20-year-old Argentinian joins from the npower League Two club for an undisclosed fee – sportinglife.com<

Swansea have tied up a £2million deal for goalscoring midfielder Michu from Rayo Vallecano – Daily Express and skysports.com

Chelsea defender Ben Gordon has agreed a loan move to Birmingham. Blues boss Lee Clark has made a new left-back one of his top priorities and he has moved to agree a deal with Chelsea for Gordon – skysports.com

West Brom have rejected Al-Gharafa's bid for 31 year-old striker Peter Odemwingie. Qatar outfit Al-Gharafa tabled a £4million bid for the Nigeria international earlier this week – skysports.com

Norwich have tabled an increased offer to Leeds United for their skipper Robert Snodgrass, 24 (right).
Leeds turned down a reported £1.5million bid for Snodgrass three days ago, but the Canaries, have returned with an offer "way in excess of £2million" and Leeds are currently considering whether to cash in on a player who has less than a year remaining on his contract - Press Association Sport

Chelsea are set to land 19 year-old Thorgan Hazard, Eden's younger brother this summer from French club RC Lens – Metro

Eduard Campabadal, a defender and Guillermo Andrés López, a striker both 19 and considered up and coming talents in La Liga are close to joining Wigan - transfermarketweb.com

Qatari side Al-Sadd hope to beat Zenit St Petersburg to the signature of Arsenal’s Andrey Arshavin, 31 – Daily Mail

Spartak Moscow are set to revive interest in Everton defender Johnny Heitinga – Daily Mail, The Guardian and transfermarketweb.com

Everton's Joseph Yobo is close to a £2.5m move to Turkish outfit Fenerbahce – The Guardian

Derby have signed Coventry defender Richard Keogh in a £1.1million deal - Daily Mirror and transfermarketweb.com

Coventry have snapped up highly-rated Manchester United defender Reece Brown on a season-long loan deal.The versatile 20-year-old, who is the younger brother of United's Wes, becomes City's seventh new face this summer and arrives just 24 hours after Derby striker Callum Ball also sealed a season-long move to the Ricoh Arena – skysports.com

Former Swansea City striker Lee Trundle, 35 has signed a one-year contract with League One side Preston North End.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Crystal Palace F.C Pre-Season 2012 - Fixtures, Results, Teams and Goalscorers


Friday 20th July: Lewes FC 1-5 Crystal Palace, at The Dripping Pan, Mountfield Road, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2XD. Attendance: 971
Palace scorers: Wilbraham, Baxter, Zaha, Fenwick, Easter.

Palace starting XI: Price, Ward, Parsons, McCarthy(c), Ramage, Garvan, Zaha, Baxter, Wilbraham, Appiah, Cadogan.
Subs that featured: Moxey, Fenwick, Diaz, Williams, Murray, A.Martin, Easter, O'Keefe, Sow, Sekajja, Wynter.

Tuesday 24th July: Dulwich Hamlet 0-3 Crystal Palace XI, at Champion Hill Stadium, Edgar Kail Way, Dog Kennel Hill, London, SE22 8BD. Attendance: 1,312
Palace scorer(s): Woodley, Taylor, Allassani.

Palace starting XI: Kurucz (trialist), Akuruka, Parsons, Chambers, Holland, Daniel, Fenwick, Marrow(c), Appiah, Sekajja, Cadogan.
Subs that featured: Allassani, Taylor, Wynter, Innis, Sow, Woodley, Kai-Kai, Jerome Williams, Boateng, Porterhouse, Freedman.

Friday 27th July: Margate 3-1 Crystal Palace XI, at Hartsdown Park, Margate, Kent, CT9 5QZ. Attendance: 1,499
Palace scorer: Sekajja.

Palace starting XI: Fitzsimons, Akuruka, Daniel, Taylor, Wynter, Fenwick, Dorman, Marrow, Appiah, Sekajja, Cadogan.
Subs that featured: Sow, Chambers, Kai-Kai, Holland, Boatang.

Saturday 28th July: v Aldershot Town 0-2 Crystal Palace, at The EBB Stadium, High Street, Aldershot, Hampshire, GU11 1TW. Attendance: 1,356
Palace scorer(s): O'Keefe, Zaha.

Palace starting XI: Price, Ward, Moxey, Martin, McCarthy, O'Keefe, Baxter, Dikgacoi, Garvan, Wilbraham, Easter.
Subs that featured: Parsons, Jedinak, Murray, Fenwick, Appiah, Zaha, Ramage, Wright, Wynter, Diaz.

Wednesday 1st August: Cray Wanderers 0-1 Crystal Palace Club Xl, at Bromley F.C, Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR2 9EF. Attendance: 551
Palace scorer: Appiah

Palace starting XI: Fitzsimons, Wynter, Daniel, Dorman, Holland, Taylor, Fenwick, Sow, Sekajja, Appiah, Cadogan.
Subs that featured: Chambers, Akuruka, Carney.

Saturday 4th August: Welling United 2-1 Crystal Palace, at Park View Road, Welling, Kent, DA16 1SY. Attendance: 745
Palace scorer: Dikgacoi

Palace starting XI: Speroni, Tiago (trialist), Parsons, Wright, Yogo (trialist), Ramage, Baxter, Dikgacoi, Murray, Jedinak, Parr.
Subs that featured: Williams, Garvan, Proctor (trialist), Appiah, Marrow, Wynter, Sekajja.

Wednesday 8th August: Swindon Town 0-1 Crystal Palace, at The County Ground, Swindon, Wilshire, SN1 2ED. Attendance: 4,312
Palace scorer: Easter (pen)

Palace starting XI: Speroni, Ward, Moxey, Martin, McCarthy, Dikgacoi, Williams, Jedinak, Zaha, Murray, Easter.
Subs that featured: Price, Wright, Kossoko (trialist), Parr, Baxter, Ukay (trialist), O'Keefe, Rosa (trialist), Appiah, Ramage.

Saturday 11th August: Reading 2-0 Crystal Palace, at Madejski Stadium, Reading, West Berkshire RG2 0FL. Attendance: 6,251
Palace scorer(s): n/a

Palace starting XI: Speroni, Ward, Moxey, McCarthy, Martin, Wright, Garvan, Williams, Kossoko (trialist), Wilbraham. Parr.
Subs that featured: Baxter, Ramage, O'Keefe, Murray, Easter, Dikgacoi, Zaha.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

The Biggest Football Boot Sponsorship Deals & which boots the stars wear!


Football boot sponsorship deals provide lucrative ‘additional’ income to those at the top of the game. Becoming the face of a brand’s footwear also opens up other avenues for big name players, such as money-spinning contracts in other associated domains such as clothing, men’s grooming, television and billboard advertising as well as promotional events.

Here I take a look at which football superstars earn the most for sporting a particular brand's boot.
These are the Biggest Football Boot Sponsorship Deals in the game today – read it and weep!

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) - Nike - £1 million per season

At £1m a season, Wayne Rooney has one of the biggest deals with arguably the biggest sports brand on the planet. Despite the controversial England striker having a far from squeaky-clean image, the Manchester United star is the face of the Nike T90 Laser IV boot. Only last April he lost his £600,000 a year endorsement with Coca-Cola after a foul-mouthed outburst was seen by millions on television, as he screamed the F-word into a camera after scoring a dramatic hat-trick against West Ham. Despite this Nike have stood by their man and Rooney is relied upon by the company to shift their boots by the bucket-load!


The Nike T90 Laser IV (above) has been designed to offer ultimate precision and power. Its adaptive shot shield technology is divided into 'Power' and 'Swerve' zones. The upper region, or the strike zone, is designed to flex naturally with the fit as you contact the ball while giving you some added power. The lower region, or swerve zone, features fins that are strategically positioned and sized to allow for closer feel on the ball while supplying added bend when you need it. Both zones are designed to flex naturally with ball contact, allowing natural movement of the foot.


Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) – Puma – £1.25 million per season

Since landing in Manchester from Madrid in the summer of 2011 Agüero became an instant hit in the English Premier League, scoring goals regularly and helping Manchester City to win the Premier League title in May in dramatic fashion, scoring the winning goal in the final minute on the last day of the season. Last September Aguero became a landmark signing for Puma’s rapidly expanding stable of football stars, on a massive four-season deal, after persuading him to quit Nike. The Argentine international will become a 'central' figure in Puma's forthcoming global marketing campaigns over the coming years, wearing Puma's line of football boots for a long-term period, beginning with the Speed v1.11.

The Speed v1.11 boot (above) does exactly what it was designed to do when on the pitch, that is, it makes you quicker. However, speed isn’t the only advantage you gain by wearing a pair of these. There is a noticeable increase in power during shooting, which is made possible by the large lace cover. This piece of fabric helps focus all the strength and speed of the player into the centre of the ball, allowing for maximum shot power. The lace cover is held down by an elastic strap and a TriHook fastener to ensure a snug fit. The curved instep of the shoe also helps for a curved shot from both long and close range - an ideal factor for any striker.



Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – adidas – £2 million per season

The best player in the world is only fourth on this list – how does that work? Thankfully for adidas, the contract with the two-time FIFA Balon D'or winner arranged his football boots deal back in March 2006, before his ascent to mega-superstardom, so adidas have been paying relatively little to have Messi in their wildly-popular adidas F50 adiZero range.


The adidas F50 adiZero miCoach boot (above) has taken footwear in the sport to a new level. Last November it was revealed that the Barcelona superstar had spent months developing the world’s first intelligent football boot with manufacturers adidas. It records player-specific data with an innovative miCoach Speed Cell chip placed in the cavity of the outsole. The boots – which store data including: speed, average speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels and active time for up to seven hours after a match or training – transmit on-pitch information to tablets, PCs and Macs using a wireless link.

Visit the adidas Football Bootroom

Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona) – Puma – £3.2 million per season 


Another one of big-spending Puma's massive recent signings is Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who has has turned his back on Nike in order to sign a lucrative £16 million boot deal with sportswear giant Puma. After rigorous testing, Fabregas decided last September that he will be sporting the brand-new Puma PowerCat 1.12 boots (below). The 25-year-old former Arsenal captain put pen to paper on a five-year contract and Fabregas will be the flagship player for the PowerCats. As a result the midfield maestro - a member of Spain's double UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup winning team, jumps into the top three on the list of the Biggest Football Boots Sponsorship Deals.


The PowerCat 1.12 features the new PUMA 3D DUO Power Shooting Technology, applied to the kicking area on the inside of the boot. Made from an innovative thermoplastic material with two different degrees of hardness, the boot has the advantage of being both highly responsive with extremely high rebound properties. The newly created PUMA 3D PST DUO technology enables improved grip on the ball through its exposed elements, and instead of absorbing the energy it increases the kicking power of the player. The kicking area employs a soft K-Leather while the lightweight microfiber material in the lateral quarter supports the midfoot and helps to keep the weight of the boot to a minimum.


Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – Nike – £5 million per season

Cristiano Ronaldo signed a whopping £20 million deal with Nike and stands to rake in £5 million-a-year. The deal negotiated in 2010 (the same year the first Nike CR Mercurial was launched) instantly rocketed Ronaldo into the upper echelon of sponsored athletes in any sport. As well as the face of their Mercurial line of Football Boots, for their money Nike are also getting a player with power, tricks, a signature style of free-kick and model good-looks. Despite technically being less successful at Madrid than at Manchester United, Nike will be banking on the Portugal international to constantly be challenging for titles with Los Blancos before his contract expires.

The Real Madrid forward is an advocate of Nike's Mercurial range and netted an incredible 53 times last season - including 25 times with his right boot and nine with his left. Designed for global icon Cristiano Ronaldo, the Nike Mercurial range of boots are the pinnacle of one of the most technically advanced, innovatively designed football boots ever created. Ronaldo is the heartbeat of every football boot Nike Mecurial produce.

On 24 February 2010 at a Nike Football event in London, Cristiano Ronaldo launched the second release of the Mecurial Vapour Superfly series.

On 16 March 2011 Nike unveiled the third incarnation of the Superfly series – the Mercurial Vapor Superfly III. The Mercurial Vapor Superfly III received its official on-pitch debut on 19 March 2011, when Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Özil played in the Madrid derby.

On 14 April 2011, Nike revealed the Nike CR Mercurial Vapor Superfly III (below), a version of the Mercurial Vapor Superfly III to be worn 'exclusively' by Cristiano Ronaldo. Whilst not featuring any technical updates to the standard Superfly III, the Nike CR Mercurial Vapor Superfly III featured an all-over 'Safari' print, that was designed specifically for Ronaldo, an all-over leopard-skin print in black and white, with contrasting safety-vest orange Nike Branding. The concept being that it set the man and the boot apart from the competition! The major innovation for the Superfly II soccer shoes was the development of the Nike Sense adaptive traction technology. A revolution in boot technology, Nike engineered a boot that combines a unique one-piece upper with a traction configuration sole-plate. Designers created an adaptive stud that can extend and retract by up to 3mm, based on ground conditions and pressure exerted by the player. Next-generation Nike Flywire technology was incorporated into the boot’s streamlined upper to provide a unique lightweight, strong and more dynamic fit.


On March 19, 2012 the Nike Mecurial Vapour VIII boot (below) was released. The special features of the boot is that Nike no longer uses the sense studs and 4 studs for the heel counter now Nike uses a whole new stud design for traction and 2 studs for the heel counter. This implant of the Mercurials do not include a carbon fibre soleplate, but instead uses the fibreglass soleplate Nike has been using for 2 years for the standard Vapors. Nike no longer uses Flywire but uses a thin layer of microfibre that has a suede finish, which is said to be for control. Ronaldo currently wears The Vapor VIII, but it was not designed and marketed exclusively for him. Other players that wear the boot include Juan Mata, Neymar, Andrey Arshavin and Mesut Özil.




David Beckham (LA Galaxy) – adidas – £7 million per season

You just cannot keep this man down. David Beckham will forever by synonymous with Adidas, having signed his first deal with the sportswear manufacturers early on in his playing career. The former England captain still wears adidas predators and has a unique deal in which he gets a cut of every boot sold. Beckham's deal with adidas is the result of some shrewd negotiation by 'team Beckham.'


Currently he can be seen wearing adidas Predator LZ DB (above and below), in a white, pink and black colour combination. The Predator LZ marks the first time that adidas have been able to incorporate so many Predator elements into a single boot, thanks to the new Hypertouch synthetic material used for the upper. Soft rubber ribs on the forefoot vamp use a recessed surface to create a ‘vacuum’ effect for a great first touch. SL Rubber on the instep toe area for a ‘high risk/high reward’ combination of spin and power when striking the ball. Finally rubber ‘Ribs’ on the medial out-step provides a precise ‘second skin’ feel when dribbling. The LZ is also the first adidas Predator to feature miCoach technology, with the latest Predator compatible with the same Speed Cell as the F50 adiZero and adiPure 11pro, thanks to it’s modified SprintFrame design.


The LA Galaxy midfielder pockets a percentage of every pair of Beckham-branded adidas football boots or piece of training apparel he personally endorses.

Given the desirable designs often reserved for these items, it’s no surprise to see Beckham pocketing more than any other footballer with his Football Boots Sponsorship Deal.



# Figures correct up to the end of 2011/12 domestic football season.