Monthly archives: February, 2019

From Our CEO: Adding To An Iconic List of Ballon d’Or Winners

What do George Weah, Jean-Pierre Papin, Andriy Shevchenko, Matthias Sammer and Hristo Stoichkov have in common? Of course, it’s pretty well-known that they are all past Ballon d’Or winners. But the few names on this short list share something else, too. These are the only five names from the past three decades who’ve won the Ballon d’Or but aren’t Icons… yet.

Every other former winner of football’s most coveted individual prize has undertaken a signing session for Icons, from Marco Van Basten to Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane to Lionel Messi. And so, when mercurial midfielder Luka Modric won this year’s accolade, it was only a matter of time before he joined our roster. Well, it was 58 days, to be exact.

In fact, our recent signing with Luka also kept alive another impressive streak of ours: we can now say that we have worked with the winners of the award from each of the past fourteen seasons.

Luka was delighted to join the list and even allowed our signing team to hold the actual Ballon d’Or award that he has at home on his mantelpiece in Madrid. ‘Signed By The World’s Best’ indeed!

So, how do we get to these players? Well, to be frank, it’s a combination of judgement and luck. We first worked with Messi, for example, when he was just 17-years-old. The year was 2006 and we had been tipped off about this new sensation in Barcelona by our man on the ground in Spain. I could write for days with similar stories. We met Cristiano Ronaldo as he arrived in Manchester. Kaka had been an Icon for a number of years before he won a Ballon d’Or. We even saw a 19-year-old Neymar Jr playing in Sao Paolo – that was 2013 and we were sat next to Kaka’s father. It was Ronaldo Nazario who had let us know that this guy might be a future Ballon d’Or winner. Neymar Jr hasn’t won it yet, of course, but we’re playing the long-game.

We like to think we can spot talent and it was great to see our first Icon of the Future, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who signed for Icons back in May 2018, selling more items during our January Sale than many of the biggest names in the sport. It shows we might be on to something with the Chelsea starlet. Maybe he too will have something shiny on his mantelpiece in a decade’s time…

I always say that as a kid I collected football stickers but nowadays I collect footballers. So come on, George, Jean-Pierre, Andriy, Matthias and Hristo – it’s time to get in touch and join the world’s most truly iconic club.


See the full range of all-new Luka Modric signed memorabilia by clicking here.

See our unrivalled collection of memorabilia signed by nominees and winners of the Ballon d’Or by clicking here.

Follow Icons on FacebookTwitter and Instagram for all our latest blog posts, special offers and competitions.



CLOSED | GIVEAWAY! Win a Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar Jr signed plaque and photo frame!


It’s giveaway time! To celebrate the joint birthday of two of our favourite Icons, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr, we’re offering you the chance to win a signed plaque and photo frame from one of these two legends of the modern game. ‘Sounds good but how do I enter?’ I hear you ask?

Well, as ever, it could not be simpler. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is:

  1. Subscribe to the Icons.com email newsletter via this handy little link
  2. Update your preferences and tell us who your favourite player or players are

When the competition closes on Friday February 8th at 12pm GMT we’ll be taking every name on our subscriber list, grabbing all the good folk who’ve updated their preferences, and drawing two lucky winners from the whole lot. So, make sure you’re in before midday Friday!

Good luck everyone!


(Now, for the boring bit…) TERMS AND CONDITIONS

    1. The Promoter of this prize draw is Icons Shop Limited (registered in England under company number 06791294 and with its registered office at 65 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7LS) (the “Promoter”).
    2. The Promoter is offering those who enter this promotion a chance to win either a Cristiano Ronaldo Signed Plaque and Juventus Photo Frame OR a Neymar Jr Signed Plaque and Paris Saint-Germain Photo Frame. Valid entrants will only be eligible to win one of the two prizes on offer.
    3. Entrants must be aged 14 years or over. This promotion is not open to any employees of the Promoter or any of their affiliate companies, their families, agents or anyone else connected with this prize draw.
    4. Multiple entries per person are not permitted. Entries will only be accepted provided they fit the entry criteria outlined in these terms and conditions (paragraph 5). However, entries submitted on behalf of another person will not be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed. Incomplete, illegible, misdirected or late entries will not be accepted.
    5. To enter this prize draw entrants must be subscribed to the official Icons.com Newsletter (icons.com/newsletter) and must have either “Cristiano Ronaldo”, “Cristiano”, “CR7”, “Ronaldo”, “Neymar” or “Neymar Jr” in the Favourite Players field of their subscriber preferences.
    6. No purchase is necessary to enter this promotion, however internet access is required.
    7. The promotion is open to entries until 12pm GMT on 8th February 2019 (the “promotional period”).
    8. Only one winner per prize will be drawn. The prizes are non-refundable, non-transferable and non-exchangeable and there is no cash alternative offered.
    9. The Promoter reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value. In the event of unforeseen circumstances or circumstances outside its reasonable control, the Promoter reserves the right to modify or discontinue this promotion without prior notice, be it temporarily or permanently.
    10. The winner will be selected from all valid entries received during the promotional period. The draw will take place no later than seven days following the end of the promotional period.
    11. The winner will be notified within five days of the draw via the email address with which they entered the competition. They will be asked to provide a postal address to which the prize will be sent. If the winner fails to respond and/or to give a valid address within five days of this notification, or declines their prize, a redraw will take place from the remaining valid entries to select a new winner (however, this five-day period may be extended at the Promoter’s sole discretion). If the winner declines their prize, or fails to respond within the required period, they forfeit any right to the prize.
    12. The prize will be sent via post to the address supplied within two weeks following provision of the winner’s address in accordance with paragraph 13.
    13. The name and county of residence of the winners will be made available on request to anyone sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to the Promoter as the address set out above within 10 weeks of the closing date of the promotion.
    14. The Promoter does not accept responsibility for network, computer or software failures of any kind and has no responsibility for lost, delayed or misdirected entries.
    15. The Promoter reserves the right to exclude any entries the Promoter in its sole discretion considers to be inappropriate, unrelated or offensive and to disqualify any entries if the Promoter, at its sole discretion, believes that there has been an attempt to manipulate or tamper with the operation of the promotion (including, without limitation, by setting up multiple email, Facebook or other social media accounts in order to submit multiple entries).
    16. By entering this competition you agree that the promoter may store and use the data you enter into this competition and contact you. You agree that the promoter may store and use any image and/or comment you post as your entry for this competition, and may use your name and competition entry in its social media channels and website (including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and icons.com), worldwide and without limit of time. You understand that you won’t have any right to preview or pre-approve the content (and, that you won’t be entitled to any kind of payment) in the event that it is used by Icons as noted above.
    17. Except for the purpose of carrying out the promotion, the Promoter will not use entrants’ personal data without the express consent of the entrant. See http://www.icons.com/about/help/privacy-policy.html for our full privacy policy.
    18. You agree to be bound by the decisions of the Promoter, which are final in all matters relating to the promotion. No correspondence will be entered into in respect of the Promoter’s decisions.
    19. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of England and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England, including the seeking of all injunctive or ancillary relief actions.

    Shop from our full range of 100% authentic Dele signed items by visiting Icons.com today…

    Follow Icons on FacebookTwitter and Instagram for all our latest blog posts, special offers and competitions.