SCOUTING REPORT: THE STORY OF ADIDAS: OG SAMBA LUZHNIKI

Pusha T’s latest diss track aimed at Drake, “The Story of Adidon,” seems to be the only talk in social media right now, and I’m loving everything about it. But how are we not also talking as much as we should about the newly released adidas OG Samba Luzhniki Stadium edition? When these were first released to the public last week, the hype was definitely there, but not as much as it should’ve. Well, I wanted to go back to this release and shed more of the spotlight that it deserves. So without further ado, I present to you “The Story of Adidas” featuring the OG Samba Luzhniki.

Overall Design: Instant classic. I love a lot of things about this release. It immediately gives you that nostalgic old classic adidas vibe, of course with its design of the 3-stripes, but also with its colorway of an ivory white and scarlet red. The colorway is certainly inspired by the Luzhniki stadium, the main football arena from Moscow for the World Cup. The exact same colors used in this piece are used for the seats in the stadium. I am also a fan of the stitched-on typeface saying “Luzhniki” on the side of the shoe on one side, and the other side in Cyrillic letters to stamp this as a special edition release for this year’s World Cup.

Score: 4/5

Functionality: If you didn’t wear Sambas to play indoor soccer when you were growing up, did you even really play? I used to wear them for everything – not just soccer. I was probably the only kid in the gym to always wear them to play basketball even. Can you wear these Sambas to play soccer, however? Of course you can, but would you really want to? Compared to what’s out on the market nowadays, personally, I wouldn’t pick these Sambas with the expectation that they would be the best in performance. They’re probably not the most comfortable shoes out there, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make to stunt a bit.

Score: 4/5

Uniqueness: Understanding the love the Russian people have for adidas gear is important to appreciate this special release. The adidas tracksuits were popularized during the 1980 summer Olympics held in Moscow during the Soviet Union times. Back in 1980 adidas sponsored the Soviet Union team as their official team apparel sponsors even though the trademark adidas 3-stripes were not shown due to political reasons. In a nutshell, once the Olympics were over, many athletes failed to find real jobs and ended up doing different types of “jobs” on the streets. The classic adidas tracksuit was then often associated with troubled youth, or even those that are high above in the underground ladder. The head-to-toe adidas look was so popular with that crowd that there were several black markets dealing the apparel, as well a separate term for groups like the hooligans that are often seen wearing the tracksuits called the “Gopniks.” With the popularity of adidas in Russia and the connection of the World Cup also being held in Russia, everything about this release comes together naturally.

Score: 4/5

Details: adidas could have simply left this piece to ride the classic Samba look and change a bit of the colors here and there and call it a special release. But they’ve also captured many small details all around the shoe that makes this a one-of-a-kind in the Samba family. First, the aforementioned typeface of Luzhniki (and in Cyrillic) on each side of the shoe is a good touch. The red stars, often associated in flags, emblems, and the history of Russia/USSR, are also placed on the back heels. The inside of the shoe also has a red star with word markings of “3-stripes” and several different Cyrillic fonts making this overall release an instant classic and undeniably a special edition.

Score: 4/5

You can now purchase the adidas Samba Luzhniki from adidas.

Photo credits: asphaltgold

SCOUTING REPORT: LET’S TALK BARCELONA & PSG

Aren’t we tired of talking about Real Madrid and the Champions League finals? Finally, Liverpool gets some of the UCL spotlight that has been dominated by Los Blancos for the past three seasons. Being a Barcelona fan myself, this weekend’s final is not something I am looking forward to. Of course I want Liverpool to snatch it from Madrid, but considering my bad luck in sports this year, I have a feeling the boys in white are going to win it again and I’m going to avoid all soccer forums until the World Cup – I don’t like facing the truth. And being a bitter Barcelona fan, I want to steal the big spotlight from these two teams, especially Madrid, at least for the length of this article. For this week’s Scouting Report, I’ll be covering Nivelcrack’s most recent release of their half-zip pullovers inspired by the colors of Barcelona and PSG.

Overall Design: The design of the two pieces are simple and clean. No graphics are integrated, but the main colors of each club were used to show the inspiration behind each piece. The colors of FC Barcelona are blue and red, which is also why they are known as the Blaugrana meaning blue and deep red in Catalan. The colors of PSG are blue, red, and white, hence the name of the piece is “Tricolor” after the three signature colors of the Parisian club. This is a contrast from the rest of Nivelcrack’s SS18 collection as most pieces from that collection were graphic-heavy. The structure of the pullover featuring the half-zip up to the neck is also a great look in my opinion, where it definitely has its roots in soccer.

Score: 4/5

Functionality: These pullovers are made from 100% polyester and yes you certainly can play on the pitch with these, and I actually recommend it as I’ve done so myself! The quality on these is up there with other tracksuits and tops from other major sporting apparel companies. The reason why tracksuits and athletic tops like these became a fashion trend was not just for its looks, but also how comfortable and practical they were for daily wear. When I first laid my hands on them, they felt rich and thick, but also light enough to not drag you down when you wear them.

Score: 5/5

Uniqueness: When you think of this criteria, you’re looking for something that is different from what’s out there right now in the market. Being a Barcelona fan and maybe from a biased perspective, I had a very positive first impression when I first saw the “Blaugrana” pullover. Not because anything in the design was out of this world, nor because it was something I haven’t seen before, but because it perfectly captured how I would want to represent my club without having to boast about the actual crest of the football club. It had just enough of the Barcelona DNA (shout-out Xavi) for me to want to wear it.

Score: 4/5

Details: The details of both pullovers are in their colors, but not much else. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the point of this release was to have the colors be the focus of the overall design, and I think Nivelcrack played their cards right with this one. This is the only way for us to talk about Barcelona and PSG during this time of the month, and I want to thank these two pieces for giving me an opportunity to snatch some of the spotlight from the Madridistas of what would soon be a terrible weekend for me.

Score: 3/5

You can now purchase the Blaugrana and Tricolore Half-zip Pullovers from RBC for US customers or Nivelcrack.

SCOUTING REPORT: FOKOHAELA UNITES SPURS AND ARSENAL?

What is one thing that Tottenham and Arsenal have in common? The only thing, in my opinion, is probably that they are both teams and eternal rivals from north London… and nothing else. Fans of each team have despised each other for decades, and honestly, forget about winning the EPL, they have as much pride against one another on who finishes on top in the table! But at the end of the day, soccer is and should always be about unity. Putting all hatred aside and coming together for the beautiful game – at least off the pitch. soccer fashion brand Fokohaela is leading the way with this in mind through its immense talent in apparel design to unite the two rivals in a supreme way (pun very intended). Keep in mind Jason Lee, founder and designer of Fokhaela, is a die-hard Arsenal fan as well. I present to you the one and only “Spurs ’91 to Supreme ’18 to Arsenal ’19” jersey (long name) by Fokohaela.

Overall Design: Are you kidding me? This thing is ridiculously bad. And by bad I mean good, and by good I mean it’s supreme! Supreme probably thought they were being slick and edgy by taking direct inspiration from the ’91 Spurs kit, but Fokohaela took it to another level by using the design as an Arsenal kit. The red colorway sits perfectly with the traditional Arsenal home kit and it’s fresh to see some of the subtle jabs at Supreme by honoring Barbara Kruger and more blunt typeface logos which reads “it’s our pleasure to disgust you” in the famous “Supreme font.” My favorite part of the overall design is that at a first glance you would think that this might be a Supreme x Arsenal jersey breathing more hype to the hypebeasts, but when you look closer to the details, one can interpret it as a smack to the face to those that ride waves to only follow trends…

Score: 5/5

Functionality: This jersey seems to be a cut and sew piece by taking the actual Supreme jersey that was released in ’18 and cutting off its sleeves to sew white polyester long sleeves with red cuffs. My reasonable and educated guess tells me that this piece wasn’t really made to function on the pitch, but rather it was made to perhaps stunt off the pitch as well as send a message to those that care to pay attention to the details. So, in conclusion, would I wear it on the pitch? Probably not, but I don’t think that was its intended purpose!

Score: 4/5

Uniqueness: Fokohaela is probably one of the top soccer brands out there known for its uniqueness and this one is no different. I invite you to take a look at its other releases in the past and every one of their jerseys will kill this criteria through the roof. What makes this jersey so unique? Well, it pretty much unites Spurs and Arsenal – a once unthinkable concept – in a strange way by using Supreme to shed some spotlight. I have not seen anything like this from any other brand with a cut and sew approach while integrating it so well with the aesthetics of the overall theme, both in colorway and details.

Score: 5/5

Details: Details in this kit is what makes this jersey come to life and spew emotions to those looking at it. The first thing you will realize is the “Don’t Fly Emirates” sponsorship logo on the front of the shirt. That typeface already tells you that this isn’t just a shirt to look dope in the eyes of a hypebeast, but it’s trying to send a message. Then you look at the left sleeve with the wordmark of “It’s our pleasure to disgust you” which is derived from one of many Kruger’s famous works. A very strong and aggressive message. Then in the back of the shirt you see a middle finger in the #9 vinyl press and right below it is “Kruger” in her original font that was famously used by Supreme. But Fokohaela is not stopping here. Pop the collar and a simple “fuck off” is written, and if you read the whole back of the shirt with said collar popped, you would read “fuck off supreme” from up-down. I’m not sure if that was the intended purpose, but once you really pay attention to the details, this 1 of 1 shirt seems to be made to honor Barbara Kruger and not Supreme as the initial impression might suggest. Crazy.

Score: 5/5

Unfortunately this piece is not for sale to the public as it is a 1 of 1 release. Feel free to check out the rest of Fokohaela’s collection from their website.

SCOUTING REPORT: THE WORLD’S JERSEY BY NIKE F.C.

The World Cup is coming up in a little over a month, and I cannot help but get excited for the world’s biggest sporting event. I attended the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and plan to attend this year’s edition in Russia. While in Brazil, I experienced people of all different backgrounds and nationalities from across the globe come together to celebrate soccer. Thanks to our friends over at Pro Direct Soccer we get a first hand look at the Nike FC, Nike’s sub-brand of soccer, recently released jerseys collection which illustrates the global power and unity of the beautiful game. Let’s take a deeper look at the latest collection.

Overall Design: The five variations of the jersey collection is separated by different national flags, as well as the actual template of the designs. The templates are differentiated through the use of black space, and the flags to display a star, a diagonal, horizontal, and vertical stripe, and an arrow-like shape pointing towards the left. All designs have the bold signature “Nike FC” in gold, as well as the main badge-logo created specifically for this drop. Overall my first impression of the pieces was impressive; they definitely caught my attention. Seeing them in person also helped me capture some of the details that I did not see in images. The whole jersey, front and back, has an embedded checkered detail to the fabric with the overlapped NFC logo from the badge. I like how the colors are vibrant from the different flags, but all of them have a solid, strong base of black for a nice contrast. I like the different take of the various templates as each jersey spews out different emotions. My least favorite version is the one with the star template as it looks a bit disproportionate and draws unwanted attention to your belly…

Score: 4/5 (fan of all four minus the star template)

Functionality: The first thing I noticed when I picked up all of the jerseys were that they were relatively heavy. When a shirt or a jersey has some weight it definitely gives you the impression that it is of high quality. I must say I was impressed with the quality of the fabric and how all the pieces were put together. Would I wear these on the pitch though? Probably not, as I mentioned they are pretty heavy and will definitely weigh you down on the pitch.

Score: 3/5

Uniqueness: Have I recently seen anything like this come out of a major sportswear company like Nike? I certainly have not (and please let me know if I’ve missed any), and to come out with it in five different variations was a good move in my opinion. Not only do these jerseys look good, but they also stir emotions and creates a sense of national pride for those people whose countries have been represented. They’re also unique in how they were constructed. The part of the shirt where the flags are being illustrated is double layered. The fabric of the flags on the top and the black base fabric on the bottom, hence the reason behind the weight of the jersey.

Score: 5/5

Details: This collection is all about details on details on details. In general, I’m a fan of Nike F.C. for its simplicity, but these jerseys use the simplicity of its logo across the chest and present contrasts in design with a loud noise of detail all over the shirt. As mentioned above, the jersey is engraved with the checked pattern of the overlapped NFC logo. The neck tag inside the shirt reads “Nike F.C. The World’s Football Club,” and includes the silhouette of the five different variations of the collection in gold. A neat move. The badge logo contains some of the nation’s flags that are participating in the World Cup surrounding the NFC logo, and some that are not participating this summer like the USA. The flags being used in the designs don’t really have a connection to the World Cup as I also see the Chinese flag in one of the shirts when they have not qualified for the tournament since 2002. I guess it’s a nice touch to include other nations, but being a Korean American myself, it hurts me to not see our flag in the any of the versions.

Score: 4/5

You can now purchase the Nike F.C. jerseys from Pro:Direct Soccer.

SCOUTING REPORT: FOKOHAELA’S DEUTSCHLAND VERMISCHT KIT

Fokohaela, the brand based out of Germany led by designer Jason Lee, is known to push boundaries when it comes to soccer jerseys. I’ve been following this brand for a while now and they first caught my attention when they released the “La Vie En Bleu Zizou” piece followed by the “O Fenomeno”, which is truly an attention grabber whether you’re a fan of it or not. Their latest release, the “Deutschland Vermischt,” which translates to “German mix,” mixes various brand logos and elements to “remix” the national kit of the German team.



Overall Design: I am a huge fan of white jerseys and shirts, especially on soccer jerseys just because of the cleanliness of the look. Because of that, I was always a fan of jerseys like Germany’s home kit, PSG’s away from last season, 2016 Nike FC Vitoria long sleeve, Guerrilla FC’s Umbro 2018 home kit, 2018 Korea away kit, the list goes on… This latest piece by Fokohaela is no exception and I was instantly a fan of it. Not to mention all the details that went into this kit – rest assured, we’ll go over all these points later in the article. Overall, the logo placements, the unique twists of other brands, and the clean aesthetic of the shirt has me as their ultimate fan.

Score: 5/5

Functionality: This piece looks to be made out of 100% cotton, and not of polyester like you would expect from a soccer kit designed to function on the pitch. It’s probably best to wear these off the pitch, perhaps to attend a Germany match from the stands. But Fokohaela is not here to design dope kits to be worn on the pitch anyways, you certainly can if you want to, but that doesn’t strike me as their ultimate goal.

Score: 4/5



Uniqueness: This is a new category for this week, replacing the former Wearability category. What attracts me towards one streetwear brand over another is how different they are from what’s being saturated in the market these days. I like streetwear when I’m wearing something that not everyone else is, not because it’s something that everyone is rocking to ride the hype. That being said, this piece stands out from a lot of what’s out right now with attention to details and history, and gets a high rating for its uniqueness like a lot of Fokohaela’s pieces.

Score: 5/5

Details: There are a lot of details in this kit, starting with the different logos and German sponsors that’s being mixed into the traditional German jersey design. Logos remixed to the shirt includes Swoosh football, Swoosh footwear label, Mercurial, Air Max 360, Tuned, ACG, Benzo, Fritz-Kola Bitburger, and AMG. The shirt also includes Fe and C from the periodic table to resemble the German nerves of steel that they so often display with their dominance on the field during clutch moments.

Score: 5/5



The “Deutschland Vermischt” shirt is yet to be released to the public, but make sure you follow @fokohaela for updates as well as their online shop.

SCOUTING REPORT: ZLATAN THE TAEKWONDO MASTER

We’re all used to it by now. We’ve seen it a countless number of times from the Swedish giant Zlatan Ibrahimovic dominating the soccer pitch week in, week out. What makes him so great is not solely because of the number of goals he’s scored, nor because he’s won league titles in every league he has played in with the exception of the EPL. He is recognized as a one of a kind because of the manner in which he has done everything from day one of his career. He is probably one of the few players – minus Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar – to have so many goals that are just jaw-dropping. He’s done it so many times that you expect nothing less from him, but still, when they happen again, it never ceases to amaze you. With all that said, did you know that behind his worldly talent in soccer, Zlatan earned a black-belt in taekwondo as a 17-year-old in his hometown of Malmö? And to further his credibility, he’s even received an honorary black-belt from the Italian national taekwondo team in 2010. Putting the two pieces together, I think it’s safe to assume that his outrageous acrobatic goals can be credited to his background in the ancient Korean martial art.

This week’s Scouting Report will cover the latest “Taekwondo FC” tee collection by Nivelcrack, one of our favorite soccer streetwear brands from Korea, recognizing the taekwondo-soccer master himself: Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Overall Design: This isn’t the first time Nivelcrack has released a “Taekwondo FC” tee. Their first release was based on the time when Diego Maradona faced Korea at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, and the Koreans used their taekwondo skills to stop him from his domination. This new collection takes the same approach and illustrates Zlatan doing a jumping taekwondo kick on the soccer field during his time at Manchester. The collection comes in two colorways of blue and red. The meat of the design is on the back of the shirt, while the front of the shirt simply reads “Taekwondo Futbol Club.” Overall I think the design is cool and the colorways are dope.

Score: 4/5

Functionality: I own these myself and can safely say that they’re of great quality. You don’t have to worry about them fading away like some of the 100% cotton tees out there.

Score: 4/5

Wearability: It was a perfect time for Nivelcrack to release this collection as for the past couple weeks Zlatan has been grabbing all headlines in soccer through his move to the MLS with LA Galaxy. His debut goals to snatch a comeback win in their first ever LA derby against LAFC brought more spotlight his way, and he’s also been making some appearances on very popular shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live. Summer is upon us here in LA, and it’s only going to get hotter. It’s perfect to match the heat with this refreshing design of a T-shirt. The pieces will definitely turn heads if you wear it to an LA Galaxy home match or anywhere in LA where Zlatan has been the focus of the city for that matter!

Score: 4/5

Details: Without the number of details on the design, it would be difficult to tell which player the T-shirt is recognizing as the main drawing can easily be seen as just an outline of a person. However, Nivelcrack has done a good job of maintaining some key features of Zlatan so that any true fan will be able to immediately point out that it’s the lion himself.

Score: 4/5

Technology and Innovation: Not much innovation here in terms of design as it is a traced sketch of an actual photo, and also the fact that its a continuous release of the “Taekwondo FC” tee collection, but the overall concept of these are great and fresh.

Score: 3/5

You can now purchase the Taekwondo FC tee collection by Nivelcrack from RBC.

SCOUTING REPORT: SOCKS THAT TURN HEADS – DFB SOCKS

There are many iconic designs throughout soccer history that most fans would be able to instantly recognize; there are even designs that would appear familiar to the more casual fan, perhaps even those outside of the soccer realm as a whole! The design patterns of the 1990 West Germany jersey is definitely one such design, and is arguably considered by some as the best soccer jersey of all time. This kit features stripes that resembles the German flag and embodies a very classic vintage aesthetic. The look is so popular that adidas decided to bring it back for the new 2018 home kit for the upcoming World Cup, only this time they didn’t use the original black, red, and yellow colors for the stripes, but the same pattern inspiration is all obviously there.

It’s not everyday that you hear about socks that turns heads and gains much attention from the fashion-savy people in the soccer culture community, but the “DFB Socks” by Nivelcrack manages to do just that.

Overall Design: The overall design is simple and straight to the point. It carries the iconic patterns of the 1990 West Germany jersey featuring the black, red, and yellow stripes with a white base. Nivelcrack was smart to not change the original design of the kit, however, they’ve added their own taste into it as there are some things in the world that you just should not alter.

Score: 5/5

Functionality: We here at KTTP like to try out products firsthand that we review for our Scouting Report series whenever possible. I own a pair of these myself and believe me when I say that these are some really high quality socks, not one of those cheap ones that usually loses its quality and strength in thread after a couple of wears and washes. It is a bit in the thicker end, so it may not be the most ideal ones to wear during the hottest days in the summer, but hey I ain’t going to judge you.

Score: 4/5

Wearability: The cool thing about this sock is that they would look good with shorts on, because you get to show off the cool patterns of the 1990 German kit, as well as with a pair of jeans that ends right above your ankle so that the patterns shows off occasionally throughout your day. The days of wearing colorful socks are in the past. I’m all in for white socks these days, so this is a must.

Score: 5/5

Details: If these socks were named something else and completely random and not “DFB” socks, fans of the beautiful game would still recognize this design as being inspired by the famous Germany kit and that comes down to Nivelcrack’s attention to detail in making sure the original design is resembled perfectly. Bravo!

Score: 5/5

Technology and Innovation: Not much innovation in terms of technology, but this design is refreshing to see on a pair of socks. I’m surprised it took this long for a brand to capitalize on the iconic design, and if there were any in the past and I just don’t know about it, please shoot me a message and educate me!

Score: 4/5

You can now purchase these socks by Nivelcrack from RBC.

SCOUTING REPORT: RED STAR FC COACH JACKET

The beautiful game of soccer truly speaks a universal language. Our collective love for the world’s sport breaks all boundaries and connects international borders. City Boys FC, a small soccer-inspired streetwear brand from Tokyo has recently collaborated with Red Star FC, a club that is also small in size, but large and rich in history, to release the “Red Star FC Coach Jacket” as part of a full collection which includes T-Shirts, socks, and a jacket. Ex-Manchester United and Red Star FC player describes the latter Parisian club perfectly: “Red Star is an underground, romantic, popular football club where there is absolutely no social status. People love it because it still has that old-school football vibe. The club was not built for just victory and winning. It is a very powerful symbol of freedom and creativity. Not a lot of clubs have that natural credibility.” Bellion currently serves as the Creative Director for Red Star and has been taking significant strides on putting Red Star FC on the map in a way where bigger clubs like neighboring PSG probably will struggle to emulate. Being the oldest soccer club in Parisian territory, Red Star FC has built a natural credibility with its supporters and its culture where other big clubs like PSG will feel challenged by the influx of big corporation influence and touristic environment. That does not mean PSG’s culture and credibility is any less or worse, but it’s just different. I think the decision for Red Star FC to have a full collection with a small Tokyo based clothing brand shows their reach and their ambition to continue in growing their value in working with authentic people that are in the “scene,” versus a going with a big name brand for sake of status.

Overall Design: This jacket had one design concept in mind and that was to keep it simple and clean. The whole jacket is black with exceptions in red for the embroidered Red Star logo on the front and the “RED STAR FC” font on the back. The collars add a nice classy touch to the overall design, and the jacket resembles a classic bomber jacket without the “puff.” For some, this may be too minimalist of a design, but Red Star FC is a club that values the story and its identity over results on the pitch and I think this jacket does a good job in bringing the spotlight to the main character of the story.

Score: 5/5

Functionality: What good is a good looking jacket if it’s not going to keep you warm? I was just in Toronto this past weekend and decided to wear this for the trip. Coming from Los Angeles, I forgot how cold winter weathers were. I was a bit worried at first but I have to give it to the City Boys team, they managed to kill it in both criteria of design and functionality.

Score: 5/5

Wearability: This type of jacket is probably one of my favorites to wear right now. Nothing too bulky and heavy with a good semi-shine material to give you a darker/urban vibe, and not just because of its black colorway. I wouldn’t really recommend this jacket on a slightly chillier night in spring as it has faux fur in the inner linings, which may lead you to unwittingly sweat as soon as the day heats up.

Score: 4/5

Details: For this piece I’d like to give a shout out to the details and how this jacket was put together in terms of stitching and choice of materials/fabric, and not in its design. The design is sleek and minimal and thus did not require too much attention, but you would appreciate the details in the overall fit and how comfortable it is when you actually wear it. As mentioned, the inside of the jacket is made with faux fur which adds another level of richness to the overall experience.

Score: 4/5

Technology and Innovation: I think the faux fur inside of the jacket really caught my attention and had a good first impression on me when I first wore the piece. It was not something that I was expecting from my first look at the exterior, and the fact that it wasn’t just a cheap shell of a jacket was innovative in its own way. Nothing too advanced in the design aspect, but overall I am impressed with this latest release by City Boys FC and Red Star FC.

Score: 3/5

You can now shop the Red Star Coach Jacket from Red Star FC’s website or from RBC for US customers. 

SCOUTING REPORT: DIOS NECKLACE BY NIVELCRACK

So often now you see soccer-inspired brands release jerseys, shirts, pants, and shorts all year long but rarely accessories. The most accessory type of gear you would see would be a pin to possibly put on your hat, coat, or bags. Nivelcrack, a streetwear brand from Seoul, is once again testing its limits when they released the “DIOS NECKLACE” in both gold and silver. The release was an innovation in its own way in that not many brands care to include accessories like a necklace in their collections, and what better player to use as your design inspiration other than the one with the flashy lifestyle: Diego Maradona?

Overall Design: The name and the design of the necklace tells you exactly what moment in football history this is referring to: the infamous “hand of God” goal scored by Diego Maradona against England in the quarter-finals at the 1986 World Cup. A legendary move like this will not happen in today’s World Cup games due to the implementation of the VAR starting this year, but then again soccer is always full of surprises… This necklace takes the silhouette of that exact moment – kind of like the Jordan “Jumpman” logo – taken from a staged photograph of when Diego Maradona jumps up to extend his arm to score the goal. In the post-match conference, Maradona explained that the goal was scored by “…a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.” Overall I think this design, which comes in both gold and silver, is ingenious. Taking one of the most iconic moments in soccer and using its image to replicate it into a necklace is simple, but it’s also one of those cases where in hindsight you can easily say “why didn’t I think of that?”

Score: 5/5

Functionality: The necklace is about 57cm in length and the pendant has a width of 2.4cm and height of 3.7cm. It’s not the longest, but I personally prefer medium sized ones like this one. I own one of these myself and they’re a great accessory to throw on everyday for any occasion with confidence due to its sturdy feel from its construction of 925 silver with 24k gold plating.

Score: 5/5

Wearability: Remember when players were allowed to wear necklaces on the pitch? That is now technically not allowed for good reason to protect the players, but I can’t lie that I miss the look of the players running around with their necklaces bouncing off their neck/chest. One image I have of a moment like that is when Hwang Sun-hong of South Korea scored the first goal against Poland back in 2002 at the World Cup. The reason I bring up that point is to remind people reading that these would look good to wear both on and off the pitch. I don’t even think it’s that dangerous to play with accessories on but that’s just me being me.

Score: 5/5

Details: The pendant has enough details in it that fans of the beautiful game would be able to tell what this piece represents as soon as they look at it. The back of the pendant is a flat smooth surface and all the details are shown on the front; Nivelcrack has even included a soccer ball in the design. In my opinion, the one improvement that would’ve made the piece just that much better would’ve been to include the stripes of the Argentina jersey, but again, that’s just me being me.

Score: 4/5

Technology and Innovation:  As mentioned in the introduction, I think the “DIOS NeCKLACE” is innovative in its own way, not because of the design, but because of the refreshing take on an iconic moment in soccer and replicating that into a high-quality accessory, and not into basic apparel.

Score: 4/5

You can purchase the Nivelcrack “DIOS NECKLACE” through Nivelcrack or RBC.