The Naija kits took the world by storm today and rightfully so. We’ve said our peace on them and turn our attention to other inspiring gems from the beautiful game. This week sees Nivelcrack drop their Red Devils collection, while the Football Gal shows off her brilliant embroidery work on a throwback Arsenal kit. Puma follow the wave by dropping a lifestyle look-book for the new Italy kits, Trevor Noah visits Kiev for the UCL Final and Usain Bolt trains in the new Puma “Illuminate” pack for a training session in Norway.
One of my favorite things about this weekly feature is seeing new cultures collide with our beloved beautiful game. Seeing brands like Louis Vuitton create a soccer ball holder for the World Cup makes us all warm and fuzzy inside. We also heavily endorse Kobe Bryant flipping through a World Cup Panini mag and a cheeky illustration of Atletico Madrid players riding Fortnite parachutes to the Europa League trophy. Without further explinations it’s time for another edition of This Weeks Instgram Best 11…
As we crescendo into a World Cup summer, the inspiration and culture continues to grew like never before. Mo Salah’s set the Champions League ablaze, while Nike was busy with the drops of a new Dutch kit and the jaw-dropping CR7 “Portugal Patchwork” Air Max 97. Elsewhere skate legend Mark Gonzales collabed with adidas Skateboarding for a wild soccer kit and an insane fan from Brazil tattooed his entire upper body in the black/red stripes of his beloved Flamengo.
Ever since Cantona popped his collar before casually bidding “Au Revoir” to a demonic goalkeeper in the 90s, Nike has set a precedent for soccer commercials that feel more like mini films. Today, they continue that tradition as they honor a fruitful partnership with one of the world football’s greatest clubs, F.C. Barcelona. Entitled “The Ball Makes Us More”, the film serves as a beautiful anthem for the Blaugrana and their unique synergy with the city of Barcelona.
From Front to back the advert bleeds Barcelona by featuring several iconic players past and present, from Ronaldinho to Andres Iniesta along with reigning FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Like Mertens. More fitting Catalan cameos come by way of pro skater Pedro Attenborough, the percussionist Kaboom, songstress Rosalia as well as the Barça born actor Carles Francine who plays narrator. Another heartwarming addition is the inclusion of an extra by the name of Carles Tarrida, a 78-year-old FCB fanatic that was on hand for the Camp Nou’s first ever match. Oscar award winning cinematographer Wally Pfister of Inception fame seamlessly ties everything together for another iconic Nike advert.
