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Icons End of Season Sale!

by Nick 22. May 2012 10:38

Feeling blue now that the Premier League has waved goodbye for another season? Well good news football fans! Icons are here to ease the pain with an End of Season Sale that will knock your socks off!

Bale, Suarez, Rooney, Gerrard, Torres, Ronaldo, Kaka, Scholes, Giggs... the list goes on! There's something for everyone in this sale, and truly amazing reductions on some of our finest signed products.

So what are you waiting for? Act now while the sale lasts and pick up an incredible bargain today!

To view the complete sale range click HERE.

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Leo Messi wins European Golden Shoe

by Nick 21. May 2012 09:57

Another day, another reason to congratulate the phenomenal Leo Messi. The Barcelona forward has been named winner of the ESM Golden Shoe for his staggering record tally of 50 league goals in 2011-12.

Messi finished four goals clear of last year's winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, to claim the second ESM Golden Shoe award of his career. Messi appeared in all but one of Barcelona's 38 league games this season, scoring six hat-tricks and notching two four-goal hauls. The Argentinian, who previously won the Golden Shoe in 2009/10 with 34 goals, has scored a remarkable 72 goals in all competitions this season.

Despite scoring six more goals than his winning tally of 40 last season, Real Madrid's Ronaldo has had to settle for 2nd place. And to round off a top three of Icons, Arsenal's Robin van Persie came in at 3rd with 30 goals. Manchester United Icon Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, finished 6th with his 27 strikes.

ESM Golden Shoe standings

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 50 x 2 = 100
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 46 x 2 = 92
3. Robin van Persie (Arsenal) 30 x 2 = 60

4. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke) 29 x 2 = 58
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan) 28 x 2 = 56
6. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) 27 x 2 = 54
7. Mario Gomez (Bayern München) 26 x 2 = 52
8. Bas Dost (Heerenveen) 32 x 1.5 = 48
8= Falcao (Atletico Madrid) 24 x 2 = 48
8= Diego Milito (Inter Milan) 24 x 2 = 48
8= Burak Yilmaz (Trabzonspor) 32 x 1.5 = 48

Rules

Only the leading five countries – Spain, Italy, Germany, France and England – in the UEFA rankings have two as their multiplier. This is to emphasise the difference in (international) performance level between clubs from those countries and those of other nations.

A player cannot play first in a summer league (e.g. Norway) and then in a winter league (e.g. Spain) and combine the points totals for each season.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's favourite hat

by Nick 11. May 2012 09:53

Icons can EXCLUSIVELY reveal Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's favourite hat! Observe the evidence...

On the left, Ronaldo is sporting the hat at his most recent signing session with Icons on 8th February 2012, while on the right he can be seen - wearing the very same hat! - celebrating Real Madrid's 32nd La Liga title on 3rd May in Madrid. Clearly this hat is reserved for special occasions! We love you too Ronny!

You can see our amazing signed Cristiano Ronaldo range right here (does not include hats).

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Cristiano Ronaldo competition winner with his prize!

by Nick 11. May 2012 05:41

Congratulations to Suraj Thapa, the winner of our 'Go Ron, go!' Cristiano Ronaldo competition!

Suraj, who hails form the city of Sunnyvale in California, USA, is now the proud owner of a Nike Mercurial boot and Real Madrid photo personally signed by Ronaldo, courtesy of Icons! Check out Suraj with his amazing prizes!

The sensational Ronaldo has scored a phenomenal 59 goals this season to send Real Madrid to La Liga title glory. Check out Icons' full range of signed Ronaldo products here.

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition! Follow Icons on Twitter @icons_football for the latest on new competitions, and for your chance to win incredible signed prizes from the world's best players.

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Win a signed Luis Suarez shirt with Icons and ESPN!

by Nick 9. May 2012 05:38

Icons have a great relationship with the good people at ESPN and this week we're teaming up to give away a signed Luis Suarez Liverpool shirt to one lucky winner.

To enter the competition click here and answer the simple question. The deadline for entries is midnight (GMT) on Sunday 13 May. Don't miss out on this amazing opportunity - enter now!

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Check out Icons' complete range of signed Luis Suarez products here

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Icons FA Cup Final Special!

by Nick 3. May 2012 05:51

This Saturday Chelsea and Liverpool clash at Wembley in the 131st FA Cup final. To celebrate this fantastic footballing occasion, Icons are offering special discounts on personally signed boots from star strikers Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez.

Fernando Torres has endured a difficult time at Chelsea since his £50m transfer from Liverpool in January 2011, but his dramatic solo goal in the dying minutes of Chelsea's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona at Camp Nou has proved a turning point. Playing with newly-found confidence and conviction, Torres smashed a superb hat-trick in the following game against QPR. He is now making a strong case for inclusion in Vicente del Bosque's Spain squad for Euro 2012. Check out his personally signed Nike Total 90 boot here and grab yourself a fantastic £75 OFF while the offer lasts.

The day before Torres' hat-trick against QPR, Liverpool's Luis Suarez completed one of the finest trebles in Premier League history in a 3-0 defeat of Norwich. The fiery Uruguayan has been a figure of controversy this season, but his performance against Norwich was a reminder of the dazzling skill and ability that has made him one of Europe's most in-demand strikers. Now is your chance to make the most of a fantastic £75 REDUCTION and pick up an Adidas F50 boot personally signed by Suarez himself. Take a look here.

Cup competitions have provided welcome relief for both Chelsea and Liverpool this season. While Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool have already secured the Carling Cup trophy, Chelsea have the Champions League final against Bayern Munich to look forward to on 25 May. With a historic cup double on the cards for both sides, Saturday’s match promises to be a fiercely contested affair.

So who will you be backing, Liverpool or Chelsea? Suarez or Torres? Grab your discounted signed boot now, and let us know your FA Cup final predictions on Twitter @icons_football.

Buy the Suarez boot HERE

Buy the Torres boot HERE

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Icon Robin van Persie named PFA Player of the Year

by Nick 23. April 2012 07:11

Congratulations to Arsenal captain Robin van Persie who has deservedly been named PFA Player of the Year for his scintillating performances this season.

Van Persie has scored a stunning 34 goals in 2011-12 to save Arsenal's season and take them to 3rd in the Premier League. The Dutch master and Gunners captain is now the seventh Icon in a row to win the prestigious award, after John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo (twice!), Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and last season's winner Gareth Bale.

We are proud to be home to the world's best players, and to have a fantastic, limited-edition range of products adorned with Van Persie's beautiful signature.

We have his trademark adidas boots which you can have framed with either an Arsenal or Holland background. We also have superb photos of him in action for Holland, and one remaining framed photo of him celebrating at the Emirates. To view our full Van Persie range, click here.

Below you can see Robin signing for Icons back in November 2011. Long may our relationship continue!

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Five of the Best: Ghost Goals

by Nick 16. April 2012 10:37

Inspired by Juan Mata’s controversial goal for Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final against Spurs on Sunday, we have carefully compiled our top five ghost goals for your viewing pleasure. Is this the end of the line for arguments to keep technology out of football?

                                       Spot the ball

Frank Lampard - England v Germany

World Cup 2010 in South Africa was a truly miserable affair for England, culminating in a humiliating 4-1 thrashing by arch rivals Germany in Bloemfontein. But could things have been different? Every man and his dog thought Frank Lampard had levelled the scores at 2-2 when his deft chip landed a good yard over Manuel Neuer’s goal-line just before half-time, but the Uruguayan officials had other ideas and ruled it out. Most rational football fans would tell you that an in-form Germany side would have triumphed regardless, but an equaliser certainly would have made things interesting.

Christian Teffert - Duisberg v Frankfurt

If England felt unlucky in Bloemfontein, imagine how Second Division German side Frankfurt felt after this clanger. Duisburg’s Christian Tiffert’s effort struck the underside of the crossbar before landing a whopping 1.3 meters away from Frankfurt’s goal-line, but despite a clear view of the incident, the linesman signalled to the referee and a goal was given. Frankfurt's protests might have been stronger were they not already 4-0 down. In the confusion that follows the 'goal', scorer Tiffert shrugs innocently as Frankfurt’s plans for a late four-goal comeback are dashed.

Freddie Sears – Bristol City v Crystal Palace

Hell hath no fury like a wronged Neil Warnock. You’ll want to turn the sound up for this one, as former Crystal Palace manager Warnock rages at officials who wrongly disallowed a clear goal from striker Freddie Sears in 2009. Sears, on loan from West Ham at the time, beat the goalkeeper from six yards but his shot bounced off the stanchion at the bottom of the net and came back out. Referee Rob Shoebridge failed to spot the goal and Crystal Palace went on to lose the game 0-1. Poor Sears has only managed a single league goal in two-and-a-half years since that day. And I’m pretty sure Neil Warnock is still angry too.

Pedro Mendes - Man Utd v Spurs

Sunday’s incident at Wembley was not the first time in recent years that Spurs have found themselves at the centre of goal-line controversy. In 2005, midfielder Pedro Mendes’ speculative effort from the halfway line at Old Trafford was clumsily dropped over the goal-line by Man Utd keeper Roy Carroll. When referee Mark Clattenberg and his linesman fail to award the goal, the sheepish expression on Carroll’s face tells you all you need to know.

John Eustace - Watford v Reading

This is perhaps the most bizarre decision of the bunch. When Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt sent a corner into the Watford box in this Championship clash in 2008, Watford defender John Eustace looked to have deflected the ball for another corner. Remarkably, however, linesman Nigel Bannister flagged for an own goal, despite the incident taking place the wrong side of the goalpost. Four yards the wrong side, to be precise. To the total bemusement of everyone inside the stadium, however, referee Stuart Atwell gave the goal.

Anymore you would like to add? Let us know on Twitter!

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See more from our Five of the Best series:

Five of the Best: Penalties

Five of the Best: Penalty Blunders

Five of the Best: Goalie Goals

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Leo Messi to sign for Icons yet again! Pre-order now!

by Nick 3. April 2012 11:27

Icons are delighted to announce that we will be holding another private and exclusive signing session with the sensational Leo Messi in the week beginning 16 April. It will be our eighth meeting with Leo since he first signed for us back in 2006 and, quite frankly, we couldn't be more excited.

              Look how happy Messi is about his next signing with Icons!

The little Argentinian is without doubt the world's best player, and with a jaw-dropping 236 goals for Barcelona at the tender age of 24, he is now the highest goalscorer in the club's history.

Our signed Messi products sell out as quickly as he breaks records, so to avoid the disappointment of missing out, we are offering you the chance to pre-order signed shirts and boots now.

Messi is probably the greatest football talent the world has ever seen. This is your chance to own a piece of football history that will only increase in value as his career reaches even greater heights, so what are you waiting for?

Pre-order a signed Messi Barcelona shirt

Pre-order a signed Messi Adidas boot

View the full Messi range

All pre-orders will be dispatched in the week beginning 23 April.

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Pep Guardiola: From Boy to Manager

by Nick 27. March 2012 10:04

Already home to the world’s best players, we at Icons have now added the world’s best manager, Pep Guardiola, to our ever-expanding roster of stars. The Barcelona boss, one of the most decorated figures in modern football, has signed an exclusive range of photos for Icons. Guardiola, who made his name in Johan Cruyff’s legendary Barcelona ‘Dream Team’ of the 90s, has returned as manager to create a side of his own that looks even better. 

Like so many Barcelona legends, Guardiola’s story begins in the confines of La Masía, the old Catalan farmhouse situated near Camp Nou and home to Europe’s most prolific youth academy. Guardiola left his hometown of Santpedor to enrol in 1984 at the age of 13, and began working his way up through the youth system.

Johan Cruyff’s appointment as Barcelona manager in 1988 would prove a seminal moment in Guardiola’s development. In his first week at the club, Cruyff paid an impromptu visit to watch the youth team at Barcelona’s ‘Mini’ stadium. With half-time approaching, the Dutchman wandered over to youth coach Charly Rexach and instructed him to move the gangly Guardiola from right wing to defensive midfield pivot. Guardiola adapted to the unfamiliar role with ease. It was the first of Cruyff’s many innovations, and surely one of his most significant.

Two years later Guardiola was handed his first team debut, and in the 1991-92 season the 20-year-old became a first team regular, playing as pivot in Cruyff’s supreme European Cup and La Liga-winning Dream Team. Guardiola was heralded as one of the world’s brightest young talents, showing maturity and guile way beyond his tender years. As one of few Catalans among established foreign stars such as Michae Laudrup and Hristo Stoichkov, and a sizeable Basque contingent featuring Andoni Zubizarreta and José Mari Bakero, Guardiola became an indispensable member of the side.

In the 11 illustrious seasons that followed his 1990 debut, Guardiola won 16 trophies with Barcelona, including four consecutive La Liga titles between 1990 and 1994. Cruyff left his position as manager in 1996, and Guardiola was named club captain as members of the Dream Team gradually dispersed. More silverware followed under Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal, but in 2001 - having made 479 appearances for Barcelona and won 47 caps for Spain - Guardiola called time on his glorious career in Catalonia.

Few could have expected Guardiola to better the achievements of his playing career as a manager, but since his instalment at Camp Nou in 2008, that is exactly what he has done. Since winning a historic ‘sextuple’ of trophies in his first season in charge, Guardiola has led Barcelona to win 13 of 16 possible trophies in under four breathtaking years. He is already the most successful manager in the club’s history, having beaten his mentor Cruyff’s record total of 11 major trophies.

The phenomenal talent of one Leo Messi has, of course, been central to the success of Guardiola’s answer to Cruyff’s Dream Team. But Guardiola has instilled a sense of unity and family at Barcelona and nurtured the perfect environment for his team to flourish. A powerful team ethic prevails over the egos and disharmony that soured the latter stages of Frank Rijkaard’s reign. While José Mourinho's Real Madrid may be in pole position to land La Liga title this season, Guardiola has accrued a formidable record in Clásicos, with nine wins and only a single loss in 13 meetings.

For his midfield generals and fellow La Masía graduates Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabregas, Guardiola is not just a manager, but a role model and childhood hero. Iniesta, for one, grew up with a poster of Pep next to his bunk. It is through this ludicrously gifted collection of midfielders that Guardiola transmits the footballing principles he grew up with. The dark hair is gone, but the mind remains as sharp as ever, and the vision and inspiration that made him a Barcelona legend in the first place have extended to management seamlessly.

The numbers are staggering. In total, Guardiola has landed 29 trophies in under 15 seasons as a player and manager at Barcelona. He has been the driving force behind arguably the two greatest sides in football history. Barcelona players, directors and fans alike will be hoping to tie him down for years to come. But whether he leaves in ten years or ten days, his is a legacy that will never be forgotten.

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View our exclusive collection of personally signed Pep Guardiola photos here

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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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