Monthly archives: December, 2015

Manchester City Hero Sergio Aguero Signs Again For Icons

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Few goals in Premier League history have been as dramatic, as historically-significant, or as crucial to an individual player’s legacy as Sergio Aguero’s last-gasp title-winning strike for Manchester City on the final day of the 2011-12 season. That’s why, whatever this man does from now until the end of his time at the Etihad, he will always have a place in the hearts of City’s supporters. 

Regardless, Aguero continues to add to his legacy at Manchester City, as each passing season he adds more goals to his already overflowing tally, cementing his place among Europe’s most deadly strikers. In fact, there are few out-and-out strikers like him in world football today. Diminutive in stature, yet strong and agile, Aguero is one of the most astute finishers in the game.
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So, on December 18th 2015, on a bitterly cold and wet winter day just outside of Manchester, Icons met the man himself for a private signing session. The Argentine forward has a reputation for being somewhat of a cheeky chap – a man who always has a smile on his face and a boyish charm to his character. The Icons team found that to be spot on, as Sergio arrived at our session chirpy and chatty and ready to sign our wide range of Manchester City and Argentina shirts and photos, boots and balls.

We found Sergio was in particularly good spirits because of his impending return to first team action. The striker had been sidelined for four matches with an injury to his heel and revealed to our team his delight and excitement at being back in training, with an eye on the weekend’s crunch Premier League fixture with Arsenal. Joking away, Sergio also told us of his childhood love for teams that play in red. Though it seems ironic to hear now, Aguero began his career with his red-clad hometown club, Independiente, way back at the start of a professional career that is now closing in some thirteen years in duration.

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Before adding his autograph to a photo of his first major European triumph, the 2010 UEFA Europa League victory while at Atletico Madrid, Sergio happily signed a variety of excellent products that are available to buy right now on icons.com. Before sharing with our team his love for the NBA – and particular admiration for the league’s MVP, Steph Curry, and his team, the Golden State Warriors – Sergio began signing Manchester City memorabilia, namely 2015-16 home shirts, photos of his best performances for the Citizens and, of course, the 2011-12 home shirt.

This was the shirt in which Sergio scored his most famous goal to date and etched his name into Premier League history. Scoring in the dying seconds of City’s final match in the 2011-12 season to defeat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 and snatch the title off City’s rivals Manchester United, Aguero earned hero status and ended the Sky Blues’ 44-year wait for topflight glory. Along with memorable photos of that famous day, Sergio’s signed shirt looks fantastic framed – a superb gift for any true City fan.

For our full range of Sergio Aguero signed products check out icons.com now!

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Icons Launch Exclusive ‘Signed & Match Worn’ Section

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Icons work with the world’s best players and today we are proud to launch our new and exclusive signed and match worn section. These are authentic, unique, game-used items direct from some of the greatest players on the planet. But how do you know these shirts are the real deal? 

Icons has and always will be dedicated to the highest standards of authenticity and our brand new signed and match worn range is no different. There are just a few simple questions you have to ask yourself as a customer to put your mind at rest when buying these items.

 

Does the supplier have long-standing and official relationships with the players?

Just a glance at the Icons homepage will tell you we have been working with the world’s best for over a decade and a half. We have official contracts with Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale and have been working with Cristiano Ronaldo for over ten years now. No one else in the world can claim such partnerships, with Icons a step ahead at every turn. We also have established relationships with the likes of Neymar Jr, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta and many more.

Does the supplier have photos of the player with the match worn shirt?

Icons is proud to provide clear photos of the player with the exact shirt they played in and have signed. This sort of endorsement is what elevates Icons above the rest. Our signed and match worn shirts are also dated, where possible. These dates were hand-written by the players themselves as a way to officially stamp said shirt as match worn from that specific match on that specific date.

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Do the shirts have any unique identifiers?

All our match worn shirts have unique identifiers establishing them as the products worn in the matches we say they are. Our Barcelona match worn shirts have an authentic tag on the hem of the shirt, which contains a serial number with nine digits, the year of the season and the iconic Nike tick. Our Luis Suarez Liverpool shirt bears the official Hillsborough 25th Anniversary crest that was specifically created for that game and has not been worn since. And our Andres Iniesta Spain shirt bears text under the badge, confirming the match opponents, date and location for example.

What about Certificates of Authenticity?

Anyone with a word processor can create a COA. All our items come with a Certificate of Authenticity, which include the details of the signing session and a photo of the player signing the product line at the signing session, where available. We introduced numbered, sequential Icons holograms to add to the COA security. They are uniquely printed on two sided black card so as to be unphotocopiable too. Details of our company are registered with Companies House and our company number is 06791294 – this is always displayed on the COAs. We are easily traceable and subject to UK law. So, if you can’t find a company’s details on its website then proceed with caution and remember you will have no claims in the courts. Our CEO personally signs every COA and we never reproduce signatures, even for this small task.

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Do they have licenses with official bodies?

Icons were awarded the world’s first ever signed football memorabilia licence by FIFA in 2010 so we could produce our range of iconic signed World Cup products. We went on to create a range for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and have been awarded the rights for the forthcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. In July 2012, Icons was awarded the first ever official licence for the UEFA Champions League and have renewed for 2015-18. Our rights now also include the UEFA Europa League so together our ranges incorporate the entire history of elite European club competition. We were also given the first ever UEFA European Championships memorabilia licence in 2015. As such, we’ve just launched our official UEFA EURO 2016 France range. If the governing bodies of world and European football deal with Icons, why would you buy signed items from anywhere else? Icons are looking to bring you match worn shirts from these tournaments so as to be able to combine our licences with these coveted products. Sign up to the Icons newsletter to find out first about this.

 

So remember when buying match worn items, does it have:

  • A COA and hologram with it?
  • A photo of the player with the item?
  • A signature from the player in question?
  • Where possible a date tying it to the specific game?
  • Identifiable patches or manufacturers details marking it as a match issue shirt?

 

Icons Shop Ltd is the world’s leading football memorabilia company and Icons.com the most trusted brand in the game. Authenticity is everything to us, as it is everything to our customers. So check out our exclusive and exciting match worn range featuring genuine shirts worn by the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta and Gareth Bale.

 

For our full range of match worn products, check out icons.com now!

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Go Behind The Scenes Of Our Signing With Andres Iniesta With Our Brand New Video

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Andres Iniesta is one of Spanish football’s greatest ever players. When Barcelona manager Luis Enrique called him “a national monument” after the team’s 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in November 2015, few could argue with him. That’s because, put simply, Iniesta is one of the very best in the game today.

So is it any wonder the midfield maestro is one of our most popular Icons?

Now you too can go behind the scenes of our latest signing with Andres with our fantastic new signing video, which showcases our close connection with the Barcelona superstar, who has signed with us since 2011.

In his fourth session with Icons, Andres happily signed a wide range of Barcelona and Spain shirts, home and away, as well as a selection of action photos and his very own Nike boots.

For the full range of Iniesta signed shirts, boots, balls and photos, head over to icons.com today and don’t forget to enter the discount code “JAN16SALE” for 20% off on selected items throughout January.

andres-inesta-signed-barcelona-shirt_1_andres-inesta-matchworn-signed-spain-shirt For a full report on our signing session with Andres, click herePhotos courtesy of Matt Hardy. For more images of Icons’ visit to Barcelona, visit www.matthardyphotography.co.uk.

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Icons Visits Barcelona’s Training Ground To Meet Luis Suarez

Having met with Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta on Friday and Sunday respectively, Icons rounded off a fantastic weekend of signings by spending Monday morning with fellow FC Barcelona superstar Luis Suarez at the club’s training ground, La Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
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The Icons team arrived shortly before the players’ first session of the day and were greeted by flashing cameras as eager fans tried to snap a photo of their heroes going to work.

Setting ourselves up in a private room within the impressive facilities, Icons eagerly awaited an in-form Luis, who arrived ten minutes later, wearing Barca’s blue and yellow training kit and a cheeky smile on his face.FCB

Although the signing was brief, we still found time to chat to Luis about La Blaugrana’s title hopes and the team’s upcoming trip to Japan for this year’s FIFA Club World Cup. Having expressed his excitement for the rest of the season, Luis also revealed the statue of himself that is to be erected in his hometown of Salto in Uruguay would be ready in March.

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Signing a host of products including the 2015-16 Barcelona home shirt, Luis also added his signature to a photo already signed by Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. The excellent photo shows “The Three Amigos” celebrating their famous UEFA Champions League triumph in Berlin last season.Luis-Suarez-Icons-Signing-Photos

It was a remarkable season that saw the Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil forwards score a staggering 122 goals, as Luis and Neymar both scored in the showpiece final against Juventus to securea historic treble. The photo is available in our Official UEFA Champions League framing style and with just ten of these items in the world; it’s a product that is not to be missed.

It seems that almost as soon as Luis is with us, he’s whisked away again, back to training before a litany of media appearances on a busy day as Barcelona prepare for Wednesday’s Copa Del Rey clash with Segunda side Villanovense. Luis-Suarez-Icons-Signing-Photos

With that Icons’ long weekend away with the Catalan club’s superstars is over. Flying home in high spirits, the team is ready and raring to dispatch orders from our massive Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. So, keep your eyes glued to icons.com for our brand new range of signed products.

For our full range of Luis Suarez products, including shirts, photos, boots and balls, check out icons.com now!

Photos courtesy of Matt Hardy. For more images of Icons’ visit to Barcelona, visit www.matthardyphotography.co.uk.

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