Nikesoccer

All On The Line

DonJulio — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:58:59 GMT

After a tough qualifying campaign, Portugal have the chance to book their spot in South Africa. Now is the time to step up and make the difference.

But Bosnia stand in their way. Win and the 2006 semi-finalists get a crack at world glory in 2010. Lose and they get a summer of pain.

Will Portugal make it through and give the reigning World Player of the Year the chance to perform on the game's biggest stage?

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about Portugal at their team page.

Ronaldo Rewrites History

adamspangler — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:20:49 GMT

Didn't take him long.

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

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

T-90 Ascente Testing – Man Utd

crowlala — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:18:07 GMT

Date: 05.02.09
Location: Carrington
Weather conditions: Very cold and windy. Conditions ranged between cloudy, snowing and sunny. Temperature range 0-1C without wind chill. Well below freezing with wind chill. 0-20 mph winds throughout.
Pitch conditions: Good, short grass.
Players and staff: Full first team, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher, Wes Brown, Edwin Van der Sar, Ben Foster, Rafael da Silva, Tomasz Kuszczak.

Tester’s notes:

Freezing cold. And more snow. Balls topped off to 12.5psi.

Team session: 15-mins shots on goal from 20 yards. 8 vs. 2 one-touch keep-ball drill. Fast, one-touch session.

Shooting session: Players hammer the ball, Rooney hits hardest – like a sledgehammer: “Feels nice to strike. Especially when you strike it true.” More finishing drills. Shooting from 3 different spots. Players love shooting with it. All-around accuracy improvements.

Get the T90 Ascente from NikeStore

The Return of Ronaldo

gabejazzy — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:05:20 GMT

Waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

And then finally, after 419 days, 2 hours and 23 minutes, Brazil’s Ronaldo ended his epic struggle, tearing free from the shackles of injury and rising high to head home his first goal for Corinthians.

Watch the goal and see what redemption looks like.

The History of Speed – Mercurial Vapor I

gabejazzy — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:46:12 GMT

The original Mercurial caused the kind of stir a shark makes in a fish pond. And with its standard-bearer R9 still ruling the world four years later, the new Mercurial Vapor was the most highly anticipated boot ever to emerge from the Nike Lab – in time for the showpiece event of 2002.

With the world’s attention turned towards Korea and Japan, Terry Gilliam’s Cage Tournament ad offered the first glimpse of Ronaldo’s long-awaited new weapon – and sent chills down the spines of defenders who knew they were about to meet their match.

Never mind the eye-catching haircut – the gaze of the fans never shifted from R9’s feet as he laid down the tournament performance of his career. Eight goals in seven matches. A brace in the biggest final of all. And a record-breaking fifth world title brought safely back to Brazil. There was never any doubt whose name would come out of the envelope when the 2002 World Player of the Year was announced.

While the appreciation of R9’s fans was still echoing around the globe, a certain Cristiano Ronaldo was quietly building a reputation to match that of his Brazilian namesake. He pulled on his own pair of Mercurial Vapors to thump home his first ever Man Utd goal, laying down the warning that giving him a free kick on the edge of the box is like chalking up a free United goal on the scoreboard. It didn’t take long for opposition defences to sit up and take note.

The History of Speed – Mercurial Mark One

gabejazzy — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:42:28 GMT

When our designers at Nike HQ first decided to pour their energy into developing the lightest boot in the world, there was only ever going to be one candidate to wear it. Brazil’s Ronaldo – the original ‘Phenomenon’. Winner of consecutive World Player of the Year awards in 1996 and 1997. Winner of the 1997 Ballon d’Or for Europe’s best player. Owner of a trophy cabinet so full of the game’s highest honours that it creaked under the strain of silverware. R9 was about to lend his talent, his vision and – most of all – his mind-blowing speed to developing the fastest boot of his generation.

Fast forward a few months, and the anticipation of the finished boot is too much even for the man himself. The official launch is still weeks away, but Ronaldo emerges from the lab with the very first Mercurial disguised as a Tiempo boot, wreaking havoc on Serie A defences before his opponents even know what hit them. As if that would have made a difference.

On French soil just a few weeks later, R9 uses the biggest stage in the world to announce the Mercurial’s official arrival. A ball drops 20 yards out. A foot flashes. The net bulges. And the marriage of the world’s greatest players and the world’s fastest boots has begun.

Love Him Or Hate Him

gabejazzy — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:52:20 GMT

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has listed him among the game's best players. European football clubs chose him as the recipient of the Ballon d'Or. And now, at only 23 years old, with a 42-goal season under his belt that helped make United champions of England and Europe, Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned the World Player of the Year.

Nominated alongside five other contenders, Cristiano is the first player from the Premier League to be bestowed with this honor.

Whether you love him or you hate him, Cristiano, the best player in the world, is here to stay.

Congratulations.

Cristiano Ronaldo Wins 2008 Ballon d'Or

Gronamo — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:43:38 GMT

96 Journalists from around the world voted and, love him or hate him, CR7 is the man to beat.

A Five-Year Century

Gronamo — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:49:29 GMT

Time flies when you’re Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2003 he walked into Old Trafford as the first Portuguese player in club history. At 18-years-old, he only brought potential, confidence and a relentless competitive drive along for the trip. Now, five years later, the 23-year-old has already scored over a hundred goals, won the biggest individual awards and team competitions in the game, and built a sturdy home in United history.

So how did he do it? How did CR7 speed up time?

Just look at the goals on Saturday against Stoke. When someone approaches every training session with the desire to improve, when he is willing to practice free kicks for hours on end, then half-chances during the game turn into converted goals and five years turn into number 100 and 101.

How did CR7 speed up time? He didn’t. He just did more with it than everyone else.

Next Level: Behind the Scenes

Gronamo — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:07:01 GMT

You've seen the TV ad as it followed the evolution of a non-league player into a European star. Now watch the banter flow behind the scenes as the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder give their advice on how to make next season your best.

Encore Performance

gabejazzy — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:33:37 GMT

The Mercurial IVs are back in action this weekend and are poised to match their head-turning debut. Those of you in the States will get your first taste of the fiery orange boots when Landon laces them up for the US MNT match against Sweden on Saturday. He'll be hunting for the all-time goal-scoring record, so we figured it's only appropriate that he dress in style.

Meanwhile, the other half of US Soccer continues making moves at the Four Nations Cup and will look for a win or a tie against China on Sunday to take home the tournament. And, with Tarp's four goals in the last two games, offense doesn't look like it'll be a problem.

In England, the top three sides - Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea - are all in action this Saturday. Man U's got Reading on tap and will be looking to extend its winning ways. We don't even need to mention that guy named Cristiano. Except to say he had three last week, and will be hungry for more. Arsenal is away at Fulham for a match that might be closer than expected. Both teams have something to fight for since Fulham is currently in the relegation zone. Both are also missing important players due to the Africa Cup of Nations (Drogba's there too). Deuce will be strapping on the Mercs to add to his team-leading goal count, but Bocanegra may still need time to recover from an eye injury sustained last weekend.

In Italy, Ibra and Inter will look to extend their lead atop the Serie A when they face Parma. AC Milan's new intergenerational Brazilian strike force of Pato and Ronaldo will also be in action against Udinese.

Free your schedule ‘cause a lots going down and the Mercurials are blowing up.