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Merry Christmas from Icons and January Sale Sneak Peek!

by Al 24. December 2012 06:02

It's been a whirlwind 2012 for Icons in which we've conducted signings with old friends Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, met with legends like Eric Cantona and Brazilian Ronaldo and struck up new partnerships with the amazing Pep Guardiola and Neymar. And on top of all that, we've just had our busiest Christmas ever. But what does 2013 have in store?

 

We're kicking off the new year in style this evening (a little early, we know) with the launch of our January Sale, slashing prices on our stunning range of signed memorabilia from the world's best players by up to 50%. Check back from 6pm GMT tonight (24 December) for:

  • £50 off signed signed Leo Messi Barcelona 2012-13 season shirts and boots
  • Up to £150 off signed Cristiano Ronaldo products
  • 20% off our entire Preframed selection including signed framed items from the likes of Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez and Olympian Jess Ennis.
  • £100 off selected Andres Iniesta signed memorabilia
...and much more!

Thank you and a very merry Christmas to all our customers, commercial partners and friends from all at Icons. Here's to 2013...

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Top five moments of 2012 - Neymar

by Al 18. December 2012 07:22

Is there a more exciting player to have emerged from 2012 than Neymar? The 20-year-old has packed more into three years as a top level professional than most players manage in their entire careers, this year making the leap from next big thing status to global superstar. Here's a reminder of his biggest and best moments from the past 12 months...

Goal of the year winner (8 January)

When Neymar was named winner of the 2012 FIFA Puskas award at the start of the year, beating a Leo Messi chip and that Wayne Rooney bicycle kick to the prize, it made a household name of the young Brazilian, putting him firmly on the radar of Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid, who continued to track him across the year. (Find on YouTube)

100th career goal (vs Palmeiras, 5 February)

Neymar joined the 100 club in February, scoring Santos' only goal in a 2-1 Campeonato defeat to Palmeiras, despite his tender age. The match was his 186th appearance for club and country, giving him a strike rate of 0.53 goals per game - astonishing for a player still in development. To celebrate the landmark, his team mates opted to not make him a cake, but cover him in cake ingredients in the changing room after the match. As you do. (Find on YouTube)

Neymar was a shoo-in to win the Pepé Le Pew lookalike contest

Hat trick hero (vs Internacional, 7 March)

On the same night that Leo Messi scored his famous five goals in one game against Bayer Leverkusen, his Brazilian counterpart was not about to be outdone, smashing home a sensational hat trick to deny Santos' fiercest rivals Internacional the points. It was a performance so big even Neymar himself was dumbfounded. "I cannot explain what I did tonight. I need to watch the TV to see what I did on the field. I knew I dribbled past a lot of rivals. That's the only thing I know," the 20-year-old told Globo TV. (Find on YouTube)

Olympic star (vs Mexico, 10 August)

Neymar scored three times in six games to propel Brazil to a final at Wembley in front of 86,000 people at London 2012. He may not have been able to stop a determined Mexico from a suprise win in the final but that was little to detract from what was an excellent tournament for the youngster, unleashing some dazzling tricks on mesmerised British crowds and further cementing his reputation as one of the fastest rising football talents around. (Find on YouTube)

Another goal of the year award awaits... (vs Flamengo, 13 September)

A wonder strike against Ronaldinho's Flamengo for Santos, featuring a deft flick around an opponent and a mazing run through the opposition defence, is the hot favourite for this year's Puskas prize, rounding a brilliant 2012 for Neymar. Can the 20-year-old win two in a row? The bigger question, as 2013 looms, however, is how long till a move to Europe where his incredible talents will really be put to the test... (Find on Youtube)

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Check out Icons' amazing range of signed Neymar memorabilia, available in time for Christmas - click here to buy!

Follow Icons on Twitter for all the latest football news, chat and competitions: @icons_football

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Top five moments of 2012 - Cristiano Ronaldo

by Al 14. December 2012 04:51

As Christmas and 2013 near, we're casting an eye back on our Icons' best moments from 2012 across the festive period. Today, we look at what has been a spellbinding year for the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo...

Derby demolition job (vs. Atletico Madrid, 11 April)

Three goals from the 27-year-old helped Los Galacticos brush aside an in-form Atletico to pull four points clear at the top of La Liga, with the race for the title at fever pitch. The second goal in particular will live on in fans' memories - an unstoppable free-kick from forty yards missled into the bottom right corner with surgical precision. (Find on YouTube)

A Clasico to remember (vs. Barcelona, 21 April)

Brushing aside critics' suggestion he was a big game bottler, Ronaldo latched on to a Mesmut Ozil through ball at Camp Nou to all but secure his team's first La Liga title in four years. It was his 54th goal of the season, a figure which eventually rose to 60 in all competitions. Real went on to be crowned league victors on 2 May at Atheltic, a game in which Cristiano fittingly scored the final goal of their campaign. (Find on YouTube)

Euros euphoria (vs. Holland, 17 June)

Without a win in their opening two group games, the Portugese striker rescued his team with one of the best individual displays of the tournament against Holland, scoring twice and hitting the woodwork in an enthralling 2-1 win. Portugal crashed out on penalties to Spain in the semi-finals, but not before Ronaldo had cemented his status as one of the best players in the world, no matter the stage. (Find on YouTube)

A flick of genius (vs. Barcelona, 29 August)

It might not have been his cleanest finish but the flick to take Ronaldo through on goal in Real's Supercup tie with Barcelona was among his deftest, looping the ball over Gerard Pique with his heel. Sublime. (Find on YouTube)

Clasico recordbreaker (vs. Barcelona, 7 October)

The 27-year-old became the first player to score in six consecutive Clasicos in an enthralling battle with Barcelona that saw Ronaldo and Messi star, both scoring twice. Which of course, did nothing to help dispel the biggest question in modern football - who is better, the Barcelona maverick or Real's Portugese wonder? - a debate set to continue long into 2013 and beyond... (Find on YouTube)

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Check out Icons' amazing range of signed Cristiano Ronaldo memorabilia, available in time for Christmas - click here to buy!

Follow Icons on Twitter for all the latest football news, chat and competitions: @icons_football

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Christmas Gift Ideas for... Barcelona fans

by Al 23. November 2012 04:34

Top of Barcelona fans' Christmas wishlists this year will be a return to the top of La Liga after slipping to Real Madrid last season, but second on their letters to Santa might be a piece of stunning signed memorabilia from Icons. We have personally signed shirts, photos and boots from some of the Catalan team's stars guarenteed to make any Barca fanatic's festive season a special one. Here's just a taster of what we have to offer...

Leo Messi

With 80 goals already in 2012, Leo Messi just keeps getting better and better. The Barcelona star is the best player in the world and also its most popular - signed Messi memorabilia is Icons' biggest selling product and we're proud to have worked closely with the number 10 for the last six years, since he was 18 and still breaking into the Barca first team. Worshipped around the world, no other gift could light up a Barcelona fan's face on Christmas morning quite like a signed 2012-13 season shirt or perhaps a signed photo commemorating the moment he scored his record five goals in one game in the UEFA Champions League. We also have signed boots available in our innovative framing style and a number of other Messi products - click the link below to experience the entire range in all its glory and find yourself that perfect Christmas gift.

View our entire Leo Messi range


Official UEFA Champions League Messi & Guardiola Signed Photo

Andres Iniesta

Messi may take most of the plaudits but Iniesta is at the heart of Barcelona's every move and his spoken of as one of the greatest players of all time - and rightly so. An astonishingly gifted technical player, the number 8 is hugely popular and his collection of signed items, including signed shirts, boots and photos, continue to fly out of the doors here at Icons. Don't miss out - order now!

View the entire Andres Iniesta range

Andres Iniesta Signed Barcelona ShirtOfficial UEFA Champions League Andres Iniesta Signed and Framed Barcelona Photo: 2009 Final

There's plenty more in our Barcelona range including past legends like Pep Guardiola and Ronaldo - check out our entire Barca collection now.

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Christmas Gift Ideas for... Brazil fans

by Al 22. November 2012 08:58

Boas Festas! For the non-Portugese speaking among you, that's how you'd say Merry Christmas in Brazil (according to a quick Google search, anyway). The festive season is fast approaching, a time during which signed memorabilia from our fantastic roster of Brazilian superstars is always a big seller at Icons. But where to start? Here's just a few of the great Brazil products we have on offer...

Neymar

What a year it's been for the 20-year-old striker Pele predicts is going to dominate global football over the next decade. The rising star began 2011 by winning the FIFA Puskas Goal of the Year award before going on to help his club to their third consecutive title, scoring 44 goals in 41 appearances en route. Then of course he starred in the London 2012 Olympic Games and earned the attention of Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid, if newspaper reports are to be believed. Icons flew to Sao Paulo to meet with Neymar in October and came back with a limited edition collection of signed memorabilia including Brazil shirts and photos, not to mention autographed pictures of the player in action for Santos.

View our entire Neymar range.

Ronaldo

There's a reason people talk about Ronaldo as the greatest striker of all time. The record World Cup goalscorer is as loved today as he was when he was tormenting defences wearing the famous yellow and green of Brazil. In 2012 Icons conducted our fourth signing with the legend, who spent spells at Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Real Madrid and more. Check out our signed Brazil shirts and photos or for those wanting to commemorate his incendiary time at Camp Nou, we have sublime signed photos of the man during his Barca days.

View our entire Ronaldo range


...and there's plenty more where that came from. Check out our entire collection of signed Brazil memorabilia, including names like Pele and Kaka.

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Christmas Gift Ideas for... Read Madrid Fans

by Al 21. November 2012 05:59

Buying a Christmas gift for a football-obsessed loved one? Look no further than our team by team buyers' guide, running all this week on the Icons blog. Today's team, ahead of their Champions League crunch tie with Manchester City tonight, is Los Galaticos themselves, Read Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The Bernabeu superstar has proven himself worth every penny of his world record €94m transfer fee, paid to Manchester United in 2009. One of the world's greatest players, he's gone from strenth to strenth ever since arriving at Real Madrid, scoring an amazing 165 times in 162 appearances to date, establishing himself as a Galacticos legend in just three years. The attacking dynamo is one of Icons' biggest sellers and with our amazing range of Cristiano products, it's no wonder - we have Real Madrid shirts, photos and boots as well as momentos from his time at United, all signed by the man himself.

View our entire Cristiano Ronaldo range

Official UEFA Champions League Cristiano Ronaldo Signed and Framed Real Madrid ShirtCristiano Ronaldo Signed Real Madrid Photo - Goal Celebration Against Barcelona

Ronaldo

From one Ronaldo to another... before Cristiano lit up the Bernabeu, it was his Brazilian namesake who fans chanted for on the terraces. The original Ronaldo is the record World Cup goal scorer and one of the greatest players to ever grace the game. His time at Madrid saw him cement his reputation and deliver one of his most memorable performances, putting a historic hat trick past Manchester United keeper Fabien Barthez at Old Trafford. You or a Madrid-mad loved one can now relive that moment forever with a signed photo from the occasion, available now in our Official Licensed UEFA Champions League range, while there's also signed Madrid shirts as well as signed pictures from his career-defining 2002 World Cup final performance for his national team.

View our entire Ronaldo range

Framed Ronaldo Signed Real Madrid 2003_04 ShirtOfficial UEFA Champions League Ronaldo Signed Real Madrid Photo

Then of course, for the perfect stocking filler, you might want to salute Madrid's record five European Cup wins with your own miniature replica Champions League trophy.

For our entire Real Madrid range, click here.

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Forward Friday: 5 reasons to love Ronaldo

by Al 5. October 2012 05:58

Tomorrow marks ten years since Brazilian legend Ronaldo made his Real Madrid debut. Coming on as a substitute against Basque Country minnows Alavés the striker made light work of the opposition defence to score twice, burying his first within 61 seconds of being on the pitch. In celebration of this, and of Icons’ new range of brilliant shirts and photos personally signed by the man himself, here are five reasons why Ronaldo was truly one of a kind.

His supernatural technique

When Ronaldo burst onto the world circuit at the 1994 World Cup the footballing universe was a very different place. Germany and Italy were the dominant powers, with the ultra-defensive Serie A hailed as the game’s most compelling league. Ronaldo led the Brazilian revival that changed all that. A player of incredible touch and control, his step-overs and dummies introduced flair back to the game and changed the face of football once more.

He’s the highest goalscorer in World Cup history

To say Ronaldo had a finish to be reckoned with is an understatement. During his career the number 10 struck an astonishing 414 times at domestic and international level. Poachers’ finishes, long range spectaculars, mazing runs through defences and past goalkeepers, Ronaldo could do them all. He gave the World Cup some of its most memorable moments of the past 20 years and continues to be the competition’s highest goalscorer, with 15 goals in the tournament.

His huge personality

Few players have had Ronaldo’s brilliant sense of humour and loveable eccentricity. The Brazilian icon named his first son Ronald Ronaldo (“because I am Ronald McDonald,” he later rationalised to a reporter) and in 2002 had his hair cut in a unique “half-moon” style after the toddler saw Roberto Carlos on TV and confused him with his father.

He was loved everywhere

How many players could cross from Barcelona to Real Madrid in a career and still be revered by Catalan fans? Who else could spend spells at both AC and Inter Milan and still be loved by both sets of supporters? Ronaldo was such a fantastic presence on the field that the acclaim for him goes beyond club rivalries.  

That game at Old Trafford

The Theatre of Dreams has seen its fair share of spellbinding individual displays over the years but Ronaldo’s riotous running of Real Madrid and Manchester United’s 2004 Champions League tie is up there with the best of them. After three stunning goals, he left to the pitch to a standing ovation from the United fans.

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Check out Icons' range of signed Ronaldo products by clicking HERE

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Icons Legend of the Week #12: Cristiano Ronaldo

by Al 27. September 2011 10:34

Love him or loathe him, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo looks like £80m well spent. Since his record-breaking move from Manchester United, the world's most expensive player has justified his astronomical transfer fee in emphatic fashion.

Ronaldo's arrival in Madrid in June 2009 came just days after the £57m signing of Kaka from AC Milan. It was the dawning of a new Galactico era. After all, it was the now reinstated Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez who oversaw the club's exorbitant spending between 2000 and 2007, during which time Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, the Brazilian Ronaldo and David Beckham arrived at the Bernabeu for fees totaling in excess of £140m.

In terms of an individual contribution to Real Madrid, however, Cristiano Ronaldo can claim precedence over all of the above. The Portuguese specializes in goals, and his record at Real is staggering. In 68 La Liga appearances, he has hit 74. In total he has 94 in 97 games. During his most prolific season in England (2007-08), he scored 42 goals in 49 games, but it was not until his move to Spain that he was able to hit those phenomenal heights on a consistent basis.

Ronaldo is a complete forward. He is a remarkable athlete, and his incredible pace and strength are absolutely key to his game. Precision shooting, devastating free-kicks and an unparalleled box of tricks combined with aerial prowess and steely determination put him at the very top of his profession.

Ronaldo earnt a reputation for showmanship during his formative years, but he matured considerably under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and now couples his precocious talent with a strong work ethic. He still plays the pantomime villain, but it is a role he relishes, and he thrives under scrutiny. After receiving a particularly hostile reception from Dinamo Zagreb fans in a recent Champions League tie, Ronaldo – current captain of the Portugal national side - responded with typical swagger. "I think that because I am rich, handsome and a great player people are envious of me," he said.

In La Liga and in Europe, Ronaldo - FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or winner in 2008 - vies with Barcelona's Leo Messi to top the scoring charts. Last term in La Liga he managed it, becoming the first player to score 40 goals in a single season in Spain. He smashed a host of records in the process, and usurped Ferenc Puskas as the fastest Real Madrid player to reach 50 goals. He also became the first player to win the European Golden Shoe in two different leagues, having previously won it in the Premier League with United.

Despite Ronaldo's phenomenal efforts, Real have been unable to supplant Barca in La Liga since the 2007/08 season. His only trophy with Real to date is a Copa del Rey, but having won three Premier League titles and a Champions League with United, Ronaldo is no stranger to success. And with fellow Portuguese Jose Mourinho at the helm, it's surely only a matter of time before he adds more silverware to his CV.

Since his £12.2m transfer from Sporting Lisbon to United in 2003, Ronaldo's career has been on a steep upward trajectory, and at just 26 years old, it looks like he has a long way to go yet.

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Click here to view Icons' exclusive range of personally signed Cristiano Ronaldo photos.

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Icons - always first with the new superstars

by Dan 28. July 2011 07:00
We predicted that Sergio Aguero was going to be one of the biggest names in world football when we did a signing with him way back in April 2010. Icons, as ever, was first, undertaking signings with the best players in the world.

We did Lionel Messi when he was 18 before he'd play 30 times for Barcelona...

...we did Cristiano Ronaldo when he was 20 and had just arrived from Portugal...

..and we did the first signing with Fernando Torres as soon as he arrived in England.

As each of these players has grown into a global superstar they've regularly signed with Icons, partly out of a sense of loyalty to a company that showed faith in them from an early age.

As for Sergio and his arrival in England, probably the best parallel we can draw is with his predecessor at Atletico, Fernando Torres. Before El Nino arrived, he was well-known in Spanish football but not that well-known in world terms. Within a year or so he was biggest Premier League shirt seller in the world. Aguero has the package to do the same: he plays the beautiful game in his own unique way - think Zola, mixed with Dalglish and a hint of Romario - and with his movie-star looks, Japanese nickname and Diego Maradona as a father-in-law, he is going to be a sensation over here.

We have Argentina and Atletico shirts and photos as well as Nike boots which can be framed with a Manchester City background for any fan of the Citizens. Sign up to the icons newsletter too as we're sure to make an announcement of his first UK signing soon.

Icons, signed by the world's best, spotted early by the world's best signed football site.

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The Great Icons Summer Sale 2011: Viva España!

by Finbarr 11. July 2011 11:47

 

Not only is it a great time to be a fan of Spanish football, it's also bloody hard not to be. Having spent the best part of fifty years as perennial bottlers, the national side have established themselves as the best in the world, patenting their thrilling, incomparable brand of tiki-taka, to the delight of all and sundry.

The emergence of La Furia Roja has coincided with the dominance of Barcelona, who many commentators have described as the "greatest team ever." So taken with what they've seen emanating from the Iberian Peninsula, the English media have demanded that the FA do everything in their power to emulate what the Spanish have done at a grassroots level, but whether we'll ever see Englishman grace a field with such elegance is questionable. 

We at Icons have championed the Spanish game and the finest purveyors of it for many years. Given the current zeitgeist for Spanish memorabilia, we thought there would be no better way to kick off The Great Icons Summer Sale by slashing prices on some of our favourite pieces from some of our favourite Spanish or Spanish based players.

There can be little doubting the fact that La Liga plays host to the best players in the world. For the past four seasons, the top three players of the FIFA World Player of the Year either ply or have plied their trade in the Spanish top flight. Last year, the top three were all based in La Liga, a statistic reflected in the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or results. 

We're delighted to present discounted goods from many of those featured. We've got some beautiful, signed action photos of 2008's World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo (many going at half price) playing for Real Madrid.

From last year's Ballon D'Or runner up, Andres Iniesta, we've got a signed picture of his thrilling last minute winner for Barcelona against Chelsea in the Champions League a few years back (again, 50% off).

From the 2007 World Player of the Year Kaká, we have a fantastic signed and numbered Real Madrid shirt and signed boots. Alongside Kaká, Sergio 'Kun' Aguero has also established himself as one of the best foreign imports to La Liga and we've got a range of his shirts and goodies to give away at a big discount. 

But the Spanish revolution of the past five years isn't just about individual awards. Lest we forget, this is one of the only sides in history to win successive major international tournaments.

To mark their dominance, we've assembled a range of cut-price merchandise from some of the stars of their all-conquering squad, including a Real Madrid shirt signed by Iker Casillas, an amazing signed photo of Cesc Fabregas lifting the World Cup, signed photos of Xabi Alonso and Pepe Reina in their pomp for both Spain and Liverpool and their erstwhile Merseyside teammate Fernando Torres, also in his Liverpool heyday. 

We'll be running the sale for a number of weeks, with a new theme every seven days. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a Spainophile, then, this is your chance to pick up some great stuff at a fraction of the retail price. 

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About Icons Memorabilia

Welcome to the icons blog, we'll be regularly posting here about what's going on with our star signings and what new products have arrived

We love what we do so we'll also be talking about what's going on in the world of football and sport in general.

We'd really appreciate your feedback and comments too.

Cheers - The icons.com team.

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