Nikefootball New Zealand

Ignition point

BLOG_AU — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:41:58 GMT

Sometimes the most important goal is not the winner.

Six minutes left, 3-1 behind. All heads down. Except one. Scholes rose high to nod in the cross, instill belief in his team and ignite the comeback.

Minutes later, they were level and through to the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition.

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Can you stand it?

BLOG_AU — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:56:51 GMT

Pressure. It changes everything.

On Sunday, Fernando was only 80% fit, burdened with expectation and desperate to end a four-game losing streak for his club.

But when your back’s against the wall, there’s only one way to go.

El Niño burst into the box, shrugged off his man and fired into the roof of the net.

Pressure – tastes good.

Defenders: read it and weep

BLOG_AU — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:27:50 GMT

Four league hat-tricks in three seasons.

Five goals in his last two league games.

Fernando’s got his eye on the 2009-2010 golden boot.

Be warned.

Torres on fire

BLOG_AU — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:10:13 GMT

A record-breaking first season for your new club. Winning your country’s first major honours for 44 years. Taking on the world again and again.

You could be forgiven a slow start to the season. But El Nino never goes cold.

Two stunning goals on the weekend. Five goals in six league games. You’d better believe he’s back.

Better than a Derby

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

Back and forth action featuring the precise passing of Arsenal and the muscled management of Manchester United. Fans got what they asked for in the first meeting of the season for two English powerhouses.

A 20-meter strike from Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal’s newest all star, finds the upper 90, powering through the keeper’s hand to start the scoring. A solid penalty from Wayne Rooney, Manchester’s now unquestioned offensive leader, brought the match even. It was edge of your seat madness for 90 minutes.

The red devils took the lead with their second goal in a 5-minute span, which sealed the home victory for Rooney and crew, and left Arsenal forced to look forward. The rematch in London, exactly 5 months from now, will again put the players in the pressure cooker, right where the fans want them, with a much better idea of how the league table is shaking out. January 30th can’t come soon enough.

Dutch Master

BLOG_AU — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:23:25 GMT

The whistle blows for a free kick just outside the box. You’re handed the ball. So what’s it going to be? Power or placement?

For Wesley Sneijder, the answer is easy. Don’t choose between the two when you can deliver a killer combination of both.

Give Sneijder a set piece and his brain’s already whirring. How far out is it? How hard is the ball? What’s the angle? The wind speed? What boots is he wearing?

Being one of Europe’s dead ball masters isn’t easy. But when free kick magic happens this often, you know it’s not coincidence anymore. It’s next level skill.

The Manchester Three

nike_nz — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:28:42 GMT

Blistering pace. No-look passing. Sledgehammer shooting. Imagine defending for ninety minutes against one of the best strikers on earth.

Now multiply that by three.

Welcome to the world of the defenders tasked with keeping Manchester United's striking trio of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez at bay.

And if you thought a strikeforce made up of Portugese, Argentinian and British players would be hampered by communication problems, think again. The threesomes telepathic link up play produced well over seventy goals last season.

As Wayne Rooney explains, their different cultural backgrounds mean nothing on the pitch. When it comes to football, all three players speak exactly the same language.

Creating Converts is Next Level

nike_nz — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:22:41 GMT

One great season doesn't make you a legend. But 33 goals in his first 47 first team games has made Fernando Torres the hero of the Kop.

And with no home nation to support in Austria and Switzerland this summer, at least one half of Liverpool will be supporting Spain.

Nunca caminaras solo, as they now say on Merseyside.

What Wayne Knows

nike_nz — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:36:52 GMT

On May 21, Wayne Rooney will be in Moscow gunning for club football's ultimate prize. If he is to bring the trophy back to Old Trafford, Rooney will need to put into practice everything he's learnt throughout his career. See what the man himself had to say about getting the edge in and around the box.

Wayne Rooney and T90

nike_nz — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:39:36 GMT

We’ve all seen Wayne Rooney put it where he wants it. Sit behind the goal when he strikes a ball in his new Nike T90 Laser IIs and it feels like you’re in the path of a guided missile.

Then again, sledgehammer shooting doesn’t mean a thing if you’re hitting the stands instead of the stanchion. When Rooney puts his foot through the ball, you can put away your measuring tape and track his distribution in blades of grass, not metres.

The secret? Take a look under the bonnet of his weapon of choice. Rooney has been part of the T90’s evolution since day one, dropping into Nike World HQ to test prototypes and tell the Nike development teams what makes his game tick.