Categories
AC Milan

AC Milan ambassador speaks out

AC Milan ambassador in the Green Room 

 

Q&A with MM Sports’ AC Milan ambassador E. Jr. Madrona

 

 

-Why do you support your current favorite club ?

I support AC Milan because I enjoy teams with a lot of history, both on the field and off. Also, I like teams with a lot of culture and diversity, not necessarily just in the squad roster, but in the style and play of the team as well. AC Milan is a team that likes to experiment on the field, and though it doesn’t always lead to success, it definitely catches your attention. I, like most football fans, love to watch great football played on the pitch, and AC Milan is a team that rarely disappoints.

 

-Which piece of advice would you offer your club if you were present at a board meeting ?

AC Milan has incredible potential, but there’s always an obstacle of some sort between the team and deserved international success. If I attended a board meeting, I would have many subtle recommendations, but there is one aspect of the team that I would most push to change. AC Milan has an amazingly deep squad, but so many great players comes at the cost of playing time, and AC Milan is too content with switching frequently between many different players throughout the season. On paper it works well, but when you look at the unshakeable giants of football, such as Barcelona, you’ll find a deep squad that isn’t afraid to stick to a standard starting set of players. AC Milan’s biggest issue, in my personal opinion, is that the team cannot connect through experienced chemistry since they are constantly shifted around. A great example of this is Thiago Silva. The Brazilian defender is one of the ultimate best defenders in the world, and if you put him with AC Milan defenders Nesta and Zambrotta, he really shines. Now that Nesta and especially Zambrotta see less and less playing time, other new defenders, like Mexes from Roma, get to make their place. Because they are changed all the time and Thiago Silva is the constant, he has no time to adjust to their playing styles and they have no time to learn how best to work with Thiago Silva. As a result, there are some matches where it is really clear that the defenders don’t know how to work with each other, regardless of their world-class talent. This is the same for many other parts of AC Milan like the midfield and attack, on occasion.

 

-What is the low point of the club while you have followed it ?

For me, the low point of AC Milan was the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League for the 2010/2011 season. AC Milan, though greatly successful back in Serie A, struggled to play well against the Spurs and ultimately were eliminated from the prestigious Championship. It was not the loss that I consider the issue, so much as the lack of confidence and skill on the field. AC Milan pretty much gave the position away after two disappointing matches against Tottenham Hotspur, and I, as a fan, felt let down.

 

-What is the high point ?

Undoubtedly, the high point of AC Milan as I’ve followed it was the Serie A title for the 2010/2011 season. In all of my football watching years, rarely have I seen such hard-earned success. The 2008 Euro Cup with Spain’s victory was an example of amazing football all the way through, and the trophy was well deserved. I consider AC Milan’s 2010/2011 campaign similar; I watched every match and saw a team that needed to take the throne for themselves, I saw a team that was resurrected through the likes of Ibrahimovic and Robinho. AC Milan proved worthy of the Serie A trophy, and I relished the victory for a long time.

 

-Which is/are your favorite jersey(s) from your club ?

AC Milan has had many great jerseys over the years, but if I had to choose the best ones, I would say that the 10/11 Home Kit was possibly the best AC Milan kit for me. In close second is surely this year’s third jersey, the

11/12 Black Third Kit. I like the home jersey because of the large vertical stripes, I felt that though AC Milan has used larger stripes before, this was a better use of the design. I’m sure much of my appreciation of it is due to it being the home jersey of a most successful Serie A season for the team. This year’s (11/12) third jersey cannot be argued with; it’s clean, it’s elegant, and from a technical standpoint, it has an incredible build and comfort. I really like the third kit this year, though as AC Milan has recently stated and proven, it is a cursed kit. Black kits have never treated AC Milan well and recently, the team announced the return of the yellow kit for the team next season; no longer will AC Milan sport the black third kit. That may be a hint that if you like the jersey, pick it up now. I had the pleasure of reviewing it for MMSports.

 

-When you were a kid which player would you like to become ? or who was your favorite player ?

Though born in Spain, I’ve been raised in a few places that don’t include that Mediterranean and as such, though the Spanish National Team is “my”

team, I’ve always been and still am a huge fan of the German National Team.

Without a doubt, alongside with Ibrahimovic, among my absolute favorite players is Miroslav Klose, the undeniable striker from the German side. I knew nothing of Ibrahimovic until I spotted him in the 2008 Euro Cup playing for the Swedish side, and until then, Klose had a monopoly on my favorite players. Though his major playing career will be approaching its end after this year’s Euro Cup, nobody can deny that he has left his mark on football, German and otherwise. He is usually underrated and under hyped as national tournaments approach, but he natural climbs his way up the goal scoring table until everyone sees the name again and again. Without a doubt, as a child, Klose was the player for me.

 

Sincerely,

Enrique Madrona Jr.

 

 

Categories
FIFA WC | UEFA EURO

Spain away jersey EURO 2012 Mata 13

 Spain away jersey EURO 2012 Mata 13 printing

The new Spanish away jersey for the EURO 2012 is sky blue with navy contrast color.

The name and number kit is black.

 

Spain away jersey EURO 2012 Mata 13 printing

 

Spain usually sports a white or a navy away jersey. This time around however the color skyblue has been chosen.

 

 

Categories
FIFA WC | UEFA EURO

Spain goalie away name and number kit

 Spain away goalie name and number kit EURO 2012

The Spain goalie jersey away for the EURO 2012 is grey with yellow 3-stripes.

Thus it can come as no major surprice that the name and number kit accompanying the jersey is yellow.

 

Spain goalie away kit - number 13 front number

 

The style of the printing is the adidas style 2012. Follows a certain pattern across all adidas teams.

 

Spain away goal keeper jersey back number 13

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
News

Greenroom

 Greenroom or should it be the Locker Room ?

 

Acclaimed US TV journalist Charlie Rose, famous for interviewing the successful and famous in diverse areas such as sports, TV and media, business, government, and education – has also brought about a slightly different concept: The GreenRoom. The GreenRoom is more like a monologue where a person answers a number of set questions which vary very little from time to time.

 

Click here to see a few examples of how this looks like!

 

The standard questions asked include:

first job

best advise ever offered

career low point

career high

childhood dreamjob

favorite books

 

So lets try to twist the questions slightly in order to fit this agenda.

I would now like to ask the ambassadors the following questions:

 

-Why do you support your current favorite club ?

-Which piece of advise would you offer your club if you were present at a board meeting ?

-What is the low point of the club while you have followed it ?

-What is the high point ?

-Which is/are your favorite jersey(s) from your club ?

-When you were a kid which player would you like to become ? or who was your favorite player ?

-What is the greatest experience you had with your club – team ?

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
FIFA WC | UEFA EURO

World Cup Champions 1930-2010

FIFA World Cup winners 1930-2010

 

 

The World Cup in football has not produced many winning nations over the course of time since its’ incection back in 1930. Furthermore only countries from Europe and South America have ever won. Whether that will change in the future is yet to be seen but so far no signs of any end to the European- South American duopoly.

 

The winners are:

1930 – Uruguay

1934 – Italy

1938 – Italy

1950 – Uruguay

1954 – Germany

1958 – Brazil

1962 – Brazil

1966 – England

1970 – Brazil

1974 – Germany

1978 – Argentina

1982 – Italy

1986 – Argentina

1990 – Germany

1994 – Brazil

1998 – France

2002 – Brazil

2006 – Italy

2010 – Spain

2014 – ?

 

A total of 8 countries have won it – 5 European and 3 South American. Out of a total of some 220 member countries of the FIFA family.

Not everyone is equal though when it comes to winning the trophy. Brazil has five titles. Spain only one.

 

So here comes a list over the number of titles each winning nation has won.

Brazil – 5

Italy – 4

Germany – 3

Argentina – 2 

Uruguay – 2

France – 1

Spain – 1 

England – 1

 

Thereby we can see that Europe holds a narrow 10-9 lead versus South America. Almost like a Ryder’s Cup between Europe and America only that contrary to golf the power in the sport lies to the south of the Rio Grande river.

 

 

 

 

Categories
FIFA WC | UEFA EURO

European Champions in soccer 1960-2008

EURO Champions since 1960

 

The European Championship kicked off with a tournament back in 1960. In the early days it did not attract many countries nor was it an international media event at the scale of today.

The tournament gained steam during the 1970s and has since then become ubiquitous in the international football calendar taking up the same in even years with a frequency of 4.

 

The winning nations since the start back in 1960:

1960 – USSR

1964 – Spain

1968 – Italy

1972 – Germany

1976 – Czechoslovakia

1980 – Germany

1984 – France

1988 – Holland

1992 – Denmark

1996 – Germany

2000 – France

2004 – Greece

2008 – Spain

2012 – ?

 

A number of different countries have won. Including the minors like Czechoslovakia, Denmark, and Greece.

Among the major nations never to have one the Cup one stands out: England.

For the tournament 2012 in Poland and Ukraine all former winners will be present. 3 former winners will be gathered in the same group: Denmark , Germany, Holland + one former finalist Portugal.

Group A can also boast of having 3 former winners participating: Russia, Czech Republic, and Greece + one of the two host countries Poland.

So how does the all – time ranking look like over the best performers ?

Germany – 3

Spain – 2

France – 2

and then all other countries which have won stands at just one titel:

USSR , Italy , Czech , Holland ,  Denmark ,  Greece.

So the odds of winning look pretty good for all participating nations.

 

 

 

Categories
FIFA WC | UEFA EURO

Spain away jersey EURO 2012

 Spain away jersey | Spanish EURO 2012 national team jersey

Spain away kit for the EURO 2012 jersey. Xabi Alonso is endorsing adidas and is therefore often chosen by adidas for Spain national team athlete photos.

The name and number kit is black on jersey and shorts.

The game kit consists of sky blue jersey, white shorts , and sky blue socks.

 

Spanien ude trøje EM 2012 - Xabi Alonso 14

 

Other adidas players in the Spanish national team endorsing adidas are Javi Martinez, Fernando Llorente, Xavi , and David Villa. These athlete photos are also used for promoting the official EURO 2012 match ball – Tango 12. Each player is photographed with ball in hand.

 

Spain away kit 2012 for the EURO 2012

 

Categories
FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona jersey World Club Champions badge

 FC Barcelona jersey World Club Champions badge

FC Barcelona won the FIFA World Club Championship in December of 2011. This gives the club the right to wear a special badge until December of 2012. The badge is called the FIFA World Club Champions badge.

 

FC Barcelona home jersey 11-12 World Club Champions badge

 

To the left arm sleeve Barcelona wears a sponsor logo from the Catalan TV station TV3. The first Catalan TV station to broadcast exclusively in Catalan. During the time when Barca did not have a sponsor logo on the jersey this would be the only commercial content on the jersey (apart from the logo of the athletic apparel sponsor).

 

FC Barcelona home jersey TV3 badge and World Club Champions badge

 

On the right arm sleeve Barcelona has the LFP badge from the Spanish league. When they play Champions League football this badge is replaced by the UEFA Starball badge. This is the only change though. Jersey, WCC badge, TV3 badge, shirt sponsor + name and number kit all remain the same.

For retail all jerseys come with the LFP sleeve badge pre-printed though. It is usually sewn on while some times it can be printed. The badge for the retail jerseys is slightly smaller than the one worn on the pitch by the players.

 

Categories
Product Reviews

Review: Nike team wear womens shorts

Nike team wear shorts women’s

 The Nike women’s teamwear shorts are the perfect choice for any women’s sports team or any woman looking for a comfortable pair of shorts.  I really like these Polyester shorts, and for me the fit was perfect.  Unlike most Nike products, these shorts do not run small, so please keep that in mind when ordering.  Sometimes I find that Men’s shorts can get tight around female hips, but with these made for women short there is no such problem.  The drawstring waist fits very well, and the lining is also comfortable.  For me the choice time to wear these is lounging around the house, but they are just as comfortable to go for an afternoon jog or play a game in.  I find that they are good choice to wear because they stay on without falling down, thanks to sticky elastic around the drawstring.  Likewise they do not attract static like other shorts, so you do not have the problem of them becoming too short when you run.  Along those same lines, the length of the shorts is also on target.  The shorts are not as long as men’s meaning they have a sort of stylish look, but also not to short that you would feel uncomfortable working out in them.  Unlike most Nike products, these shorts do not run small, so please keep that in mind when ordering.  I have not compared them to other companies such as addidas, but I think you will find the sizing to be about the same.   The color of my pair is Navy Blue and it did not fade going through the washer like others might.  Although it may not beat the shorts made out of Dri-Fit or Underarmour the Nike team wear still holds up as an efficient alternative.

Categories
FIFA WC | UEFA EURO Product Reviews

Review: Denmark DBU shorts and socks

Review: Denmark soccer shorts and socks

By Aaron Holtsclaw

 Today I am reviewing the remainder of the kit for the Danish National Team. I previously reviewed the jersey and I went into the history of the team and their success on the European level. That being done, I am going to focus on the parts of the kit that is often overlooked and under purchased by football fans. Myself being a Manchester United supporter, I own plenty of their jerseys but do I own the equal amount of shorts? No. There is not often times where you would wear the full kit for a team but seeing it together in this light makes me want to. The shorts are mainly white and made out of Adidas Climacool fabric. The fabric feels nice on your legs as you run or walk in these shorts and the contrast to the mainly red jersey looks very attractive to the eye. Above the right knee is the crest of the team which I explained the meaning of in my previous review. On the back of the left leg is the Adidas logo which features the manufacturer prominently but doesn’t detract from the main focus of the kit which is the team logo. As always, the Adidas stripes run down each leg in red rounding out the details. Of the few football shorts I own, these are one of the nicest. The overall look and feel is awesome. I would highly recommend these shorts to any supporter of the Danish National Team or to any American Football fan that has Danish roots. It’s a nice way to show off your heritage and support a great side in Europe. The last part of the kit is the socks. The socks are the same color of red as the jersey. The only other color is white in a few places. First, the Adidas stripes at the top of the sock where the elastic is dominates the look and says, “These are Adidas socks.” On the front of the sock is the DBU from the crest letting the wearer know that these aren’t average socks, they belong to the remainder of the Danish kit. The back of the calf has the Adidas logo in a raised pattern sewn into the socks like the DBU showing the quality of the craftsmanship put into these socks. Some socks have a heat transfer or thin construction to them which gives draws attention to the bootleg quality. It is clear that these socks are made of pure quality. The last feature is a number 5 within a circle. I am not sure if that is a sock size or something else but in US sizes, I wear a size 13 shoe and my feet fit comfortably inside these socks. They have the right amount of compression and room so they aren’t too constrictive. I am a big fan of socks and these are some of my favorites.  Though I am American, getting the chance to review this kit and explore the history of this team has turned me into a supporter. I can proudly wear these when I watch the team play in the future.