Nikefootball New Zealand

Two minutes

BLOG_AU — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:47:21 GMT

In what was to be a routine match against Malawi, the Elephants left their biggest names on the bench and found themselves down 1-0 in the 63rd minute.

Enter Didier Drogba.

Two minutes on the pitch and the Ivorian superstar equalized, sending his homeland into the finals for the second successive time.

Two minutes.

Make the Difference.

Speed kills

BLOG_AU — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:36:34 GMT

Strikers are judged on goals.

But on Sunday, Drogba demonstrated the importance of every area of a centre forward’s game.

His electric pace and storming power laid on the two goals that gave his team all three points and left them standing at the top of the league.

Ronaldo rewrites history

BLOG_AU — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:59:45 GMT

Didn’t take him long.

After just four games in the white of Madrid, Cristiano has stamped his name in the club’s record books. Last night he became the first player ever to score in all of his first four games for the club.

Who knows what he’ll do in the next 34.

Strike fastest

BLOG_AU — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:16:28 GMT

Great players can Make the Difference almost immediately.

Within two minutes on Saturday, Ibrahimovic pulled off an audacious flick with the outside of his boot to spark a 5-2 rout of Atletico Madrid.

Zlatan doesn’t do tap-ins.

Business as usual

BLOG_AU — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:08:44 GMT

When all eyes are on you, what do you do?

If you’re Cristiano Ronaldo, you do what you’ve always done.

Just 27 minutes into his European debut, he fired in a trademark free kick. Then added another in the second half.

Same again next time?

Dead ball – buried

BLOG_AU — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:58:46 GMT

Sometimes you get a whole game. Sometimes a cameo. But when Ribery came on for Bayern, he took centre stage.

His inch-perfect free-kick put the German champions 3 up, kick-starting a 5-1 drubbing. Some players only need a second to make the difference.

Ronaldo’s Rebirth

BLOG_AU — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:07:09 GMT

All hands on deck and all eyes on one man. Every football fan in the world had a thought to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Spanish debut, and it would be understandable for even the consensus world player of the year to be a bit nervous. But if you tuned in for failure, you don’t know this coolest of competitors.

In the 35th minute, with the eyes of the world upon him, Ronaldo stepped to the penalty spot. A deep breadth, a swipe of a sleeve to catch the sweat from his face. Then no hesitation. A bullet barely caught on camera whizzed across the grass and passed the outstretched arms of a goal keeper who even guessed correctly, diving exactly where the ball had been. Past tense, had been. There was no stopping Ronaldo’s perfect penalty strike, and given the moment, perfect can’t pay it due justice.

Three and easy

BLOG_AU — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:06:13 GMT

Three minutes. That’s all Arshavin took to Make the Difference last night. Bursting off the bench, he slotted home his first goal of the season to send Arsenal marching into the group stages of Europe’s elite club competition.

Victorious from the start

BLOG_AU — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 03:20:00 GMT

From the training pitch to their first trophy, the season has yet to kick off and Barca have already claimed the Spanish Super Cup.

Zlatan's arrival and Guardiola's intensive pre-season training has so far proved lethal. The pride of Barcelona knows exactly what it takes to win and they’ll stop at nothing to win it all.

A Hero in Training

BLOG_AU — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:28:07 GMT

The preseason is all about putting in the work, training hard to get ready for the season, but still people were worried when Milan lost eight consecutive games in the process. But their Brazilian duo, who have promised to be the difference makers in offense this season, came through for their team right when it mattered most.

A tumultuous off season in which leaders left has energized and empowered wunderkind Pato, who in the process of taking the offensive reigns up top for Milan has helped revitalize his countryman, Ronaldinho. Both have been killing it this off season and appear set to carry Milan. It didn’t take long for the duo’s hard work to pay off. Just about 30 minutes.

Ronaldinho played a knifing ball out front of the charging Pato who quickly caught up and coolly slipped the ball into corner of the net; 1-0

Twenty minutes later, after Milan conceded a goal, the magical duo were back at it again, with Ronaldinho carving up the midfield again before the ball found Pato again in the middle of the box with a point-blank shot on goal. You can’t stop that: 2-1.

It looks so easy, but don’t mistake the hard earned skill for some Brazilian birthright. The amount of practice Pato puts in is the difference between heroes and the merely talented. The 20-year-old now has 29 goals in 63 games for Milan, and this season is set the make the biggest difference yet. Grabbing two goals in the first game is a nice start.

Train to Make the Difference – week in, week out

BLOG_AU — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:06:46 GMT

Whether it’s pre-season, post-season or mid-season, maintaining your football fitness is essential if you’re going to mix it with the best.

From August 17th we’re dropping the Nike Football SPARQ Training program on Facebook. Three sessions a week of pro-level conditioning drills created by top international coaches, Jens Bangsbo and Paul Winsper, who will also be on hand to provide pro tips and advice throughout the four-week program.

Just hit Facebook, watch stars like Andres Iniesta and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar demo the drills - then get out there and sharpen your edge.

Nike Football training helps you build your strength making you harder to shrug off the ball. Helps improve your speed, making you as fast in the last 20 minutes as the first 20. And toughens your core muscles, helping you avoid injury. All the drills are done with the ball at your feet, so you’ll improve your touch as you build your fitness.

Get training

Want proof? Read Kilian's story

Zlatan to reign in Spain

BLOG_AU — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:17:52 GMT

Europe's hottest striker has swapped Inter Milan for Barcelona.

Zlatan would improve any team in the world. Just imagine what he'll do to the first ever team to achieve a Spanish treble.

Last season's top scorer in Serie A, this season's top scorer in La Liga?

Have your say on the Nike Football Facebook Page.

Sometimes it’s what you can’t see that makes him faster

BLOG_AU — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:15:46 GMT

Speed scores goals. Two steps ahead of your opponent can mean the difference between scoring a goal and losing the ball. The Mercurial Vapor has been delivering on that promise for years. That's why the Vapor is the boot of choice for CR7.

And now Ronaldo has a new secret weapon, the Mercurial Blade. The new pinnacle in shin guard technology, the Blade features an ultra-thin carbon fibre composite shell designed to withstand the demands of the game at an elite level. Nike's lightest ever elite guard. Two steps ahead will now be four steps ahead. Defenders beware.

Super studs, super traction

BLOG_AU — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:27:25 GMT

Get faster to the ball. Move faster with the ball.

The Superfly features a dual density stud system that shaves every last ounce of unnecessary material from your boot, so you can shave seconds off your running time. If you’re cutting sideways, or ploughing straight towards goal, the Superfly traction pattern gives you the support to stay standing while your opponents fall around you.

Flywire: the Superfly’s secret weapon

BLOG_AU — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:17:19 GMT

You wouldn’t buy a sports car and pack the boot with lead. The same goes for a football boot. Modelled on the most economical of support structures, the Mercurial Superfly’s new Flywire design system is as efficient at load-bearing as the suspension bridge that inspired it.

With the lightest, strongest ever material between your feet and the ball, the featherweight Superfly combines killer touch with match-winning speed. Great news for forwards, terrible news for defenders.