Tag: FC Barcelona

Why We Love Messi’s 300 La Liga Goals

FBL-ESP-LIGA-BARCELONA-SEVILLA

With the opening goal of FC Barcelona‘s 3-1 victory over Sporting Gijon on Wednesday evening, Lionel Messi became the first player in the history of La Liga to reach 300 league goals. So, to celebrate Messi’s landmark achievement, the staff of icons.com have picked their favourite of Messi’s now 301 goals in the Spanish topflight.

But, with over 300 efforts to choose from, it’s inevitable that we would leave out a number of amazing goals. So, let us know if we’ve left out your favourite goal by getting in touch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. And don’t forget, we have a wide range of official Lionel Messi signed memorabilia available to buy on icons.com right now. So check it out and grab yourself a wonderful item from one of the greatest players in football history.


Goal Number 1 (vs Albacete, May 1st, 2005)

This is where it all began. Lionel Messi‘s very first goal for Barcelona was a classic. Sent clear by Ronaldinho, a 17-year-old Leo steadies himself, sizes up the onrushing goalkeeper and cooly lobs it into the back of the net to get off the mark in La Liga. Everything is perfect here, from Ronaldinho’s awesome dinked pass to the fact it seals the points for Barca in the dying seconds of a typical Camp Nou victory. Simply historic. – Alistair Hunter


Goal Number 78 (vs Real Zaragoza, March 21st, 2010)

Similar to his Copa del Rey goal against Getafe, this solo effort is just incredible. It’s a goal that reminded me of Diego Maradona’s against England because Messi has the ball for so long and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much skill and control in an individual effort. It’s also great because he shows tremendous strength to win the ball in the first place and then the quickness in his feet to take past that first opponent is magical. Superb stuff. – Edward Freedman


Goal Number 158 (vs Getafe, April 10th, 2012)

Has there ever been a midfielder-striker partnership as good as Andres Iniesta and Lionel MessiI think this goal, with the quality of the one-two between Andres and Leo, shows off what was and still is an incredible duo. The neat interplay between the two is amazing to watch, but then there’s the power of Messi’s finish. This is a goal of real style and class. – Ben Soley


Goal Number 276 (vs Almeria, April 8th, 2015)

If you rush to him, Messi dribbles past you. If you stay put, the Argentine magician does this. Defensively, there is not much more Almeria could do. But Messi makes top level footballers look like amateurs on a weekly basis. The nonchalance with which he impossibly bends the ball around well-placed defenders is something only one player on Earth could do. With a phenomenon like Messi you can’t really win. That’s why Messi is Messi and the rest just trail in his wake. – Jack O’Neill


Which of Messi’s La Liga goals is your favourite? Let us know by checking out this incredible video of all of his 301 La Liga goals.

Shop from our full range of official Lionel Messi signed items here.

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



CLOSED | WIN a Nike boot signed by Cristiano Ronaldo Or Neymar Jr!

Signed-Boot-Giveaway

It’s competition time! To celebrate the birthdays of global football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr on Friday February 5th, Icons are giving you the chance to win a signed boot from one of these two awesome players.

All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning this incredible prize is to head over to our Facebook page and give us a like or follow us on Twitter and keep an eye out for our posts and tweets relating to the competition. You’ll need to like or retweet one of those related posts as well as like or follow us on Facebook or Twitter to be in the draw for a boot. When the draw closes on Friday February 12th at 12pm GMT, we’ll be picking one lucky winner from both Facebook and Twitter.

Good luck!

iccrb13-cristiano-ronaldo-signed-nike-pink-boot_1_1icnjsb2-neymar-jr-signed-nike-hypervenom-white-boot

Terms & Conditions
1) The promoter of this competition is Icons Shop Ltd, whose registered office is at Highgate Business Centre, 33 Greenwood Place, London, NW5 1LB, UK. 2) Employees of Icons Shop Ltd, their family members or anyone else connected in any way with the competition or helping to set up the competition shall not be permitted to enter the competition. 3) There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition. 4) Closing date for entry will be Friday February 12th at 12pm GMT. After this date no further entries to the competition will be permitted. 5) No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received after the closing date for whatever reason. 6) The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter. 7) The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition. 8) No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice. 9) Winners will be chosen at random from all entries received and verified by Icons Shop Ltd and or its agents. 10) Winners will receive one signed boot from a player of their choice between Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. 11) Entry to this competition constitutes either one of the following; the entrant must “like” the official Facebook page of the promoter and “like” one or more “post” relating to the competition on Facebook or; “follow” the official Twitter page of the promoter and “retweet” one or more “tweet” relating to the competition on Twitter. 12) The winner will be notified via the social media channel from which they entered the competition within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within three days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner. 13) The promoter will notify the winner of how the prize can be collected. 14) The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. 15) By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions. 16) The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England. 17) The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent. 18) Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions. 19) This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network.


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

Andres-Inesta-Icons

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.

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



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.
FCB-2

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.

Luis-Suarez-Icons-Signing-Photos-Shirt

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.

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