When it comes to brands, adidas is the king of the of the soccer world. Nike, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar under its belt, gives the German giant a run for its money, but there’s no doubt the official partner of FIFA is the biggest brand, especially when you look at what soccer players are sponsored by adidas.
Adidas has long been king in the soccer world. The official partner of FIFA gives the German giant a huge following as perhaps the most popular producer of soccer-related equipment from clothes to cleats. But a look at what soccer players are sponsored by Nike reveals how close the American company is coming to overtaking adidas as the biggest soccer brand.
Do soccer players wear cups? It’s a simple question with a simple answer, so maybe the query should be rephrased: Why don’t male soccer players wear cups?
A cup is a piece of protective gear worn while playing certain sports to protect a player with male reproductive organs from injury or pain when receiving contact to the groin area. They are typically hard pieces of plastic, but can also be of the softer, more malleable variety.
Cups are most common in baseball, where the small, hard ball can easily and severely impact one’s family jewels.
While Barcelona will return to classic thin Blaugrana stripes on its home shirt this season, the club’s away jerseys and rumored third kits are much more bold.
The away is confirmed, and it’s “volt” (a sort of light green/yellow) with a bit of blue and red on the cuffs. However, it’s the third shirt that’s got tongues wagging across the planet.
Nike’s created a fantastic TV spot to celebrate the release of the Nike PhantomVSN boot, which will be worn by the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Kevin De Bruyne and Mal Pugh.
To help advertise the latest in footwear technology from the sportswear giants, Nike recruited the help of Neymar, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Ronaldinho, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the music of French electronic duo Justice.
When most mere mortals are out playing in the streets, they’ll casually yell something like “Pogba!” or “Ronaldo!” when completing some audacious pass or string of step-overs. But if you, like me, are invincible and legend, you’ll scream “Zusi!” or “Andy Carroll!” or “wee Joe Allen!” when you get stuck in or while you're riding the pine. These are proper footballers, conjoined by one common thread: They all have spectacular man buns (Zusi used to, but now he’s a giant fraud).
It’s almost time for the new Premier League season to kick off. We’ve had the World Cup to fill most of the offseason, but now it’s that boring part of the summer when clubs play friendlies against considerably weaker teams. Everton won a friendly 22-0, so that’s all you really need to know about preseason.
Napoli’s biggest worry, at the moment, is president Aurelio De Laurentiis’s claim that manager Maurizio Sarri is attempting to take all of his former players with him to Chelsea. Jorginho has absconded for $67 million, but the rest of the squad appears to be staying in Naples.
With the major leagues around a month away from kicking off, the kit releases have been dropping thick and fast. Whether it be a wacky design or a more classy, traditional-looking jersey, the kit release is always something fans look forward to in the offseason.
Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are five of the best soccer kits that have been released.
Don’t agree with our selection? Let us know who you think should have made the cut.