Best for Messi 2012

The Best Basketball Shoes

Basketball shoes are a must-have for serious athletes who want to excel in the sport. These shoes are not only there for style but they help a player achieve top performance by providing comfort and stability.

Here goes a list of some of the best shoes out there in the market:

Nike Air Jordan I

Regarded by many as the "king" of basketball shoes, Nike's Air Jordan achieved massive popularity in the sport during Michael Jordan's heyday. He continued wearing the shoes every time he played despite NBA's restrictions.

The first version of the shoe was colored black and red. With a price of $150, Air Jordan was definitely the most expensive of its kind at the time.

Nike Air Zoom Generations

Known to many enthusiasts as LeBron's first shoe, this low top basketball shoe product from Nike mixes catchy colors with high quality performance.

Nike Air Penny II

Penny also had his own pair of signature kicks to use during games. This shoe had two versions namely black and white. Both versions had blue and silver accents which obviously resembles the color scheme of Orlando Magic. Air Penny II became particularly popular among point guards.

Adidas KB8

This is Kobe's first shoes from Adidas which was released during his second year as an L.A. Lakers player. The design was very unique and it used Adidas' trademark three stripes in a very creative way. This high top basketball shoes delivered excellent ankle support which made it a favorite among many athletes.

Reebok The Question

This Iverson signature shoes has been considered by critics and athletes alike as one of the most comfortable shoes ever made.

The first version of the shoes came with simplistic design. For the most part, the toe, accents, and sole's colors were identical. Upcoming versions of The Question were, however, more experimental as it played around different color concepts more.

Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars

Of course, no list of popular basketball shoes will ever be complete without mentioning the one that started it all.

"Chucks" came out in 1917 and has earned the reputation of being the first basketball shoe. Although the shoe is no longer used for that purpose, this classic footwear is a true pioneer in the game.

These days, a lot of great basketball shoes are always available online. If you want to purchase Nike basketball shoes and other brands, you can visit the website of reliable retailers and place your orders there. You'll receive your pair in just a few business days and you'll be ready to hit the hard court soon!

Shaan Berg is a blogger about lifestyle and fashion trends. She is currently working as a freelance stylist and writer. You can purchase Nike basketball shoes at SlashSport.

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Cristiano Ronaldo, Beyond Football

Football stars are just more that goal scoring machines. They have a life outside of the field. More than a 'Football player of the month, they are a father or a brother or a son and even more a human being with idiosyncrasies to claim their own. Here we probe into Cristiano Ronaldo profile is very popular and highlight some 'must-be-aware-about' interesting and striking facts and trivia about the football legend.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo full name is actually Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. He was named after famous actor and U.S. President- Ronald Reagan.

2. He was called a 'cry baby' when he was a child. Apparently he used to cry every time he passed the ball and his friends couldn't score.

3. Along with the 'cry baby', he had another silly title he went by- 'Little bee'; Cristiano Ronaldo was named so because no one could catch up to him.

4. As a teenager, for one of his training techniques, he used weights on his feet while playing with the ball. This was aimed at making his movement faster.

5. He was initially signed on with Liverpool who didn't think much of him then. He was signed to Manchester United by Alex Ferguson who was quoted as saying "At half-time I knew I had to sign this boy. He was sensational."

6. While playing for Manchester United he used to wear the Number 7 shirt, which was previously worn by David Beckham, one of his idols.

7. His father was a victim of alcohol abuse which persuaded Ronaldo to swear of alcohol for good. But Cristiano Ronaldo has been known to consume gin and juice at times.

8. In 2012, he was voted as the sexiest athlete by the People Magazine.

9. His on field prowess combined with his good looks have earned him many an endorsement deal with brands such as Armani and Nike.

10. He is a fashion aficionado and has his own boutique, named CR7, in Portugal, run by his two sisters.

11. Ronaldo has been inducted into the 'wax' hall of fame when he had his statue erected at the famous Madame Toussauds in London.

12. He has been a tagged a 'Ladies Man' and has been linked to Hollywood socialites such as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.

13. Cristiano Ronaldo statistics are so impressive, that even the player admits that he is the best.

For more information about Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United. Please visit the official website.

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El Clasico - The Best Football Match Ever

El Clásico is the name given to any football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Some editor use the name Super Clasico as well. Another one use Super Clasico, only for competition final games between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. It is described as more than a match, because it is not only FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid. The rivalry starts as about Barcelona and Madrid are the two biggest cities in Spain, the two football clubs are two of the richest, most successful and influential football clubs, not only in Spain, but all over the world.

Apart from this, the rivalry also has political significance. Through the years Barcelona had the reputation as a symbol of Catalan pride, traditions and identity, against the centralising tendencies of Madrid. In El Clasico the whites are representing Spanish nationalism, while Barcelona representing the Catalanism. Madridists were under the protection of Franco's dictatorship. Barcelona was resentful because Franco made it illegal to speak Catalan, even arrested and executed Barcelona president Josep Sunyol(also a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia and Deputy to The Cortes) without a trial.

The first ever El Clásico was played on 13 May 1902. It was played for Copa de la Coronación, the forerunner of the Copa del Rey, but the Spanish Football Assosiation does not recognize the competition as official. Barcelona had won the game 3-1. There are 221 official Barcelona vs Real games.The whites leads with 88 wins, Barcelona 86 and 47 draws. Barcelona had score 358 goals, against 372 for Real in Clasicos.

El Clasico statistics by tournament:

• FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid had been played 165 times in La Liga. Real Madrid win 69 of the matches. 64 wins for FC Barcelona in Primera Division and there are 32 draws
• Spanish SuperCup - this is a championship contested by the winners of the La Liga and the Copa del Rey. 6 wins for Real, 4 for Barca and 2 draws. SuperCup Clasicos are also known as Super Clasico
• FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid in UEFA Champions league - there is a bit advance for Real Madrid in Champions League. 3 wins for Real, 2 for Barcelona and 3 draws
• There were 30 El Clasicos in Copa Del Rey. Catalans' Copa Del Rey wins are 14 against 10 for The King's Club and 6 draws. In 2010-2011 season was the last played Super Clasico in the tournament. Real won 1-0 after extra time

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El Clasico - The Best Football Match Ever

El Clásico is the name given to any football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Some editor use the name Super Clasico as well. Another one use Super Clasico, only for competition final games between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. It is described as more than a match, because it is not only FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid. The rivalry starts as about Barcelona and Madrid are the two biggest cities in Spain, the two football clubs are two of the richest, most successful and influential football clubs, not only in Spain, but all over the world.

Apart from this, the rivalry also has political significance. Through the years Barcelona had the reputation as a symbol of Catalan pride, traditions and identity, against the centralising tendencies of Madrid. In El Clasico the whites are representing Spanish nationalism, while Barcelona representing the Catalanism. Madridists were under the protection of Franco's dictatorship. Barcelona was resentful because Franco made it illegal to speak Catalan, even arrested and executed Barcelona president Josep Sunyol(also a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia and Deputy to The Cortes) without a trial.

The first ever El Clásico was played on 13 May 1902. It was played for Copa de la Coronación, the forerunner of the Copa del Rey, but the Spanish Football Assosiation does not recognize the competition as official. Barcelona had won the game 3-1. There are 221 official Barcelona vs Real games.The whites leads with 88 wins, Barcelona 86 and 47 draws. Barcelona had score 358 goals, against 372 for Real in Clasicos.

El Clasico statistics by tournament:

• FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid had been played 165 times in La Liga. Real Madrid win 69 of the matches. 64 wins for FC Barcelona in Primera Division and there are 32 draws
• Spanish SuperCup - this is a championship contested by the winners of the La Liga and the Copa del Rey. 6 wins for Real, 4 for Barca and 2 draws. SuperCup Clasicos are also known as Super Clasico
• FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid in UEFA Champions league - there is a bit advance for Real Madrid in Champions League. 3 wins for Real, 2 for Barcelona and 3 draws
• There were 30 El Clasicos in Copa Del Rey. Catalans' Copa Del Rey wins are 14 against 10 for The King's Club and 6 draws. In 2010-2011 season was the last played Super Clasico in the tournament. Real won 1-0 after extra time

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History of the Premier League

The Premier League had its earliest beginnings in an previous league, that was known as the Football League. The League first began in 1888. This league basically consisted of competitions between professional football clubs from all over Wales and England. As it began in 1888, it is considered to be the oldest competition in World Football.

The Football League was the highest football league in England from its beginning until 1992. Since 1995 until the present day, there are 72 clubs in the Football League, that break down into three divisions, League One, League Two and the Championship. One feature of the league is to give the top Championship clubs the opportunity to change places with the lowest ranked clubs from the Premiership.

It was the work of William McGregor,a director at Aston Villa, who first suggested the creation of a league competition to supply a number of fixtures for the club membership each season.

The meeting that started it all was held in London, on the very night of the Football Association Cup, in London at the Anderson Hotel, March 23, 1888. The Football League was officially formed and named at the Royal Hotel in Manchester on April 17, 1888.

By 1992, the resignation of the First Division clubs occurred when they sought to take an opportunity of a television rights deal. So then the Premiership was created on May 27, 1992. After 104 years the Football league was in for a change. A league that operated with four divisions, now was change to a Premier League and the Football League had three.

The competition format stayed the same, the regulation and promotion between the Premiership was put in place, and there was no change in competition format. The same number of teams competed in the top flight, and promotion and relegation between the Premier League and the new First Division remained on the same terms as between the old First and Second Divisions.

There have been seven steadfast clubs with membership since the very beginning of the Premiership competition for every single season. This group consists of Aston Villa, Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur.

While the League had been known as FA Premier League for many years, the name was changed in 2007 to just the Premier League. It is also commonly referred to as the Premiership.

Premiership Trivia

The record for the largest number of Premier League appearances is held by David James, beating the record of appearances made by Gary Speed in February of 2009.

Brian Deane, playing for Sheffield United scored the very first goal in the Premier League against Manchester United.

The all time record amount of transfer in the history of the sport involved a Premier League club selling Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 to Manchester United for the sum of £80 million from Real Madrid.

If you would like to see the most exciting premier league teams in action, see http://www.gofootballtickets.com for Football Tickets to the most important Premiership matches and competition games both in the UK and abroad.

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