West Ham United are a club famed for their claret and blue strip, passionate fans and for producing some world class players from their renowned ‘academy of football’.The story of West Ham’s kits begins in 1895, when the club was founded, as Thames Ironworks FC, a works team for Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co, based…
If you are looking to buy a retro Three Lions shirt, you’ve got a lot of gorgeous kits to choose from. While the England men’s team have varied in quality over the years, they’ve managed to remain super stylish – even at their most mediocre. So, to help you choose your next kit, we have…
Footballers are a superstitious bunch. From Jack Grealish’s refusal to change his crumbling boots to Dele Alli’s use of decade-old shin pads, players often find themselves engaged in unusual ritualistic behaviour. While the aforementioned cases are odd, they are largely manageable with some upkeep. Toni Kroos, on the other hand, has developed an incredibly inconvenient…
Reselling is a natural part of the economy, and in the footballing world, often more so. For many a collector, or reseller touting new and vintage boots, shirts and memorabilia, it is often a livelihood. PayPal, however, has other ideas. In what can be called an unprecedented move and one with a far-reaching impact, the…
As a general rule, Premier League teams need at least five senior central defenders to allow for tactical flexibility, injury cover and normal squad rotation. The recent reports about the transfer status of half the Arsenal defence is ringing alarm bells for more than a few fans. If the stories are to be believed, David…
Arsenal currently sit ninth, just inside the top half of the Premier League table. If the season had finished due to coronavirus, this would be the club’s lowest placing since the 1994/95 season. When Unai Emery was sacked in late November, his team had two wins in their previous 11 league games and were winless…
Football fans and the media love to pick a favourite. This year, the golden boys have been Liverpool and their relentless, energetic style. And, fair play, they’ve been extraordinary. But we’ll be talking about that magnificent team for years. What about the other sides who have performed admirably but received a lot less praise? This…
Shirt numbers have become so ubiquitous that it’s hard to imagine a kit without them. They’re so embedded in football culture that they often infiltrate discussions about tactics. Without any conscious thought, fans will describe players as a cross between a #8 or a #10. Fernando Llorente and Olivier Giroud are traditional #9s, Lionel Messi…
The Bundesliga is back! And as one of the first leagues to return to our tellies after the Covid-19 interval, there are plenty of people tuning in to the German top league for the first time. If you’re one of those new fans, I have drawn up a five-man list from goalkeeper to striker of…
We put two Tottenham Hotspur shirts head to head in a battle of quality, longevity, shape, fit and colour. One counterfeit, one official. Which one kept close to the original purchase condition? We’ll let the pictures do the talking. Shirts Unworn – Day 1 The images show that the counterfeit product is a close copy…
Your club’s new kit has launched but how do you know the kit you’re looking to buy is the real deal? With so much choice available, Back Four want to make sure you’re not wasting your hard-earned cash and are continuing to support your club. Back Four have years of experience in training law enforcement…
When talking about the world’s most competitive leagues, the Premier League or Spain’s La Liga come to the mind of most. But, in this article, I’ll tell you why the Superliga Argentina (Argentine Super League) is among the most competitive leagues in the world. Superliga Argentina: Football’s Most Competitive? In Argentina, the Primera Division –…
The outbreak of coronavirus will profoundly impact the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2020 awards. How can you choose the best player in the world, when no-one is playing? All we’ve got to go on is what’s happened so far. In this article, we’re looking at the current candidates, what they’ve done in 2020, and what they…
Comparing and trying on an authentic Puma Italia 2020 3rd Kit with a counterfeit $20 version.
With one of the most iconic shirts in football, FC Barcelona can also lay claim to being one of the most successful clubs in the sport with legends like Ronaldo, Messi, Ronaldinho and Maradona wearing their colors. With their blue and maroon stripes (and lately also squares), the origin of the Blaugrana colors is a…
Arguably the most successful football club in the world, the undisputed Kings of Europe with 13 Championships and the only team to have successfully defended their UEFA Champions League title, not once but twice in a row, Real Madrid are a team with a great history and a kit that has always been recognized globally….
Juventus Football Club, La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) from northern Italy is one of Europe’s classic teams. Legendary players such as Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane and now Cristiano Ronaldo have taken the field at the Delle Alpi (now Allianz Stadium) wearing the iconic black and white striped shirt. It all began in 1897 when the club…
For many years now Manchester United has been ranked as the most valuable football club in the world. According to the English newspaper The Independent, the team was worth 3.255 billion Euros as of 2018. This is the result of a global branding effort that has made their kit the most recognized globally. But did you know…
A footballer has a number of reasons to change their boot sponsor. They might want more money, they might have similar values to their new boot sponsor, they might want their own signature shoe and go to a less popular shoe in order to get one. New brands like Puma and New Balance have created…
The Adidas Predator Mania was first released in 2002, making a splash during the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan. Often considered to be the most elegant and coveted of the predator series, the boot saw production in numerous colorways including black and red, white and red and a limited edition world cup model in blue. But what…
