My Favourite Foreign 3rd Shirts For The 20/21 Season

 So we have had my favourite overseas shirts from the home and away selection. So now we have my favourite 3rd shirts from overseas. It was certainly a difficult decision when narrowing down my selection but here are the shirts that stand out to me the most...


Real Madrid
I love the Real Madrid 3rd shirt for this season, with the black shirt and pink writing. What I love most though is the detail that is hidden in the shirt when you look closer. I definitely prefer this to the other bold paisley printed shirts I have seen this season such as the Manchester City kit. If you saw this shirt from a distance you probably wouldn't even know there was an extra pattern on the shirt. The black and pink definitely work really well together. 


Red Bull Leipzig 

Now Red Bull Leipzig are a team I really don't bother with but Liam has started keeping an eye on them which is what brought this shirt to my attention. This shirt is just so in your face but in such a good way. The colours work really well together and although the shirt is so in your face it works, the colours blend nicely together. I think if this kit was available on FIFA 21 it would be one I purchased straight away but who knows it might find its way into my actually football shirt collection one day. 


Inter Milan

As soon as I saw an image on FIFA of this shirt I knew I wanted it as it just looks so good. The black and grey horizontal stripes work really well with the light blue on the bottom of the sleeves and around the front of the neck line. I really like the yellow for the sponsor too as it just adds a bit more colour to the shirt. I love the central positioning of the clubs badge too as I love when a badge is in the middle of the shirt as it just makes it a little bit different. 


Juventus 

Juventus have brought out some fantastic 3rd shirts over the past few years and this seasons is certainly no different. I think I prefer this one over the previous years as it so different, in fact it gives me autumn vibes as it looks when the leaves fall from the trees and end up on the floor at that time of the year. Adidas make some absolutely fantastic shirts for Juventus and I love how this one stands out with a totally different pattern, each year is something totally different. 


Barcelona

To say I was never a fan of Barcelona shirts they have appeared on my favourite shirts posts twice. This 3rd shirt may just be my favourite between the 3rd and away shirt as the colours are fantastic. I love the pink and mint green with a hint of black in small areas. I wasn't a fan of pink shirts until the Manchester United one a few seasons ago now but I am definitely sold on them. 


Ajax

Just like the Barcelona away shirt the Ajax shirt is a nice simple black shirt with gold on and a bit of grey down the side of the black. As I said with the Barcelona away shirt I love the black and gold colourway but I love how Adidas have incorporated that bit of grey to add a little extra to this shirt. Adidas have brought out some fantastic shirts this season and this is no exception. 

So there you have it those are my favourite 3rd shirts for this season from overseas there are quite a few of these that I want to add to my collection but which would you pick?

My Favourite Foreign Away Shirts For The 20/21 Season

Just like with the overseas team's home shirts there are a lot of great away shirts being released this year. To be honest I think for most clubs the away shirt is actually better than the home shirt as they just look like they have had more thought put into them. So here are some of my favourite away shirts for those teams overseas...

Borussia Dortmund

BVB's home shirt featured in my favourite home shirt post but again Puma have killed it with the away shirt too. The black shirt with the yellow stripe diagonally across the front which separates a solid black from a faint graffiti BVB print that fills that lower diagonal section. I will be honest when I first looked at this shirt I didn't even notice the graffiti effect but I love it. This is something totally different and is subtle so you don't get your attention drawn to it straight away. 

Roma

By now you will all know I love a shirt with a collar but Nike have smashed it out of the park with this Roma away shirt. I love Roma and keep adding their shirts into my collection but I was let down with their home shirt this season so luckily the away shirt made up for it. I love the colour of this shirt with the classic Roma colours on the sides, sleeves and collar. This is definitely a very smart design. 


Barcelona

To be honest I have never really been a fan of Barcelona shirts but this black and gold away shirt from Nike may just have changed my mind. This is definitely different to the past few Barcelona away shirts we have seen but in a very good way. This one looks so smart and classic. It catches your eye without making you think 'why on earth have they done that' which some clubs shirts definitely do get you thinking. The gold just works so well with the black to create a great looking shirt. 

PSG

Oh look another shirt with a collar surprise surprise. I love how smart this seasons PSG away shirt looks. The classic PSG colours down the middle of the white shirt gives a nice block detail and the blue collar just makes the shirt look so much smarter. A nice simple and smart shirt, I honestly do believe that without the collar on the shirt I wouldn't have been interest but thanks to the collar I think it may be a future purchase. 


 Wolfsburg

To be honest I would never have bothered with Wolfsburg in the past but whilst scrolling through the Nike site this shirt caught my eye. It is a very simple design, a bit like the Barcelona one but the green just makes it different and catch your eye. Teamed up with the green shorts you aren't going to miss the Wolfsburg players on game day. I love how it is simply black and green with just a tiny bit of white on it. 

So there you have it those are my favourite overseas away shirts, again I think some of these may be added to my shirt collection in the future. Whats is your favourite away shirt from teams overseas?

Merry Christmas Everyone

  



                                                  Merry Christmas everyone. 


Just a quick post to say have a great day whatever you are getting up to. I know things aren't going to be the same thanks to the strange year 2020 was but make the most of whatever you are doing, relax and just enjoy the day as much as you can. This year has been a challenge and we don't know when normality will return but we have made it so far. 

Thanks for all the support on here and social media, my love for blogging has definitely returned this year and I am excited for what is still to come. 

Things Are Changing At Bradford City Women's

 A new era is about to begin at Bradford City Women and it is certainly a huge step in the right direction for the club. It has been announced that the Bradford City Community Foundation will be taking over the running of the Women's club to try strengthen ties with each avenue of the club which is only going to benefit current and aspiring players. The Bradford City Community Foundation chief executive officer said “We are delighted to have Bradford City Woman under our umbrella. After recently taking over Bradford City Girls, it made great sense for us to bring in the ladies in as well, to further strengthen the relationship and promise of the club." The changes will hopefully develop players to work through the ranks at the club and keep them progressing at Bradford City instead of heading elsewhere. 

This clubs decision was made after the announcement that  long-serving chair Sally Thackray and treasurer Allyson Matthews were going to be retiring. The club were looking for new volunteers and this seems to be a great direction the club is heading in after the announcement of the retirements.The club are hoping that this move will bring the women's side in-house and help stabilize the future of the club, which is something the club has been trying to do for a while now, hopefully this will also help minimise the issues that will arise from the ongoing pandemic situation too. 

Qasim Akhtar who is currently the business development officer of the Bradford City Community foundation will be stepping in as general manager while the Bingley Bantams Ian & Keith Taylor will become head of operations and treasurer roles.  

I got to ask club secretary Matthew Kermode what he though of the changes and here is what he had to say,  "We're extremely excited to be moving to be part of the Bradford City Community Foundation.  It allows us to reconnect with the FITC Girls' teams to provide a clear pathway from the youngest players right through to our first team.


This is also a great opportunity to work with the FITC and benefit from their expertise and resources as we look to develop and build our club.  We have two established managers in Chris and Manny and now with Ian & Keith at the helm the future of the club is in safe hands.

On a personal note I'd like to thank Sally and Allyson for everything they've done for their club.  For a number of years they virtually ran the club between them, and it's now our responsibility as a leadership team to continue their work and get Bradford City WFC back where we belong."


There has also been three other volunteers to take up other roles within the club however, the club are still on the look out for other volunteers & sponsors to help grow the club further so if you want to get involved in any way let the club know by emailing info@bcwfc.co.uk 
Things are definitely looking up for the club and hopefully we are going to see the results on the pitch too. 

You can read the official announcement here

My Favourite Foreign Home Shirts For The 20/21 Season

Not only are the Premier league sides getting some great shirt but the over seas clubs are fantastic too. I watch plenty of leagues from around the world and what I love is seeing is what shirts each team are going to be given that season, are they going to be subtle and classic or are they going to be in your face with their design? 

Here are my picks of my favourite home shirts for the European teams this year... 


Atletico Madrid

I have always been a fan of the Atletico shirts as I love the red and white stripes. In fact I love quite a few shirts across the world that are red and white as they just work so well together. I love how simple this shirt looks then you have the added bonus of the collar and the buttons which just makes this shirt seem a lot more stylish. This is a shirt I would very happily wear on a day to day basis due to the fact it looks a little smarter than other shirts. 


Benfica 

I aren't quite sure what it is about this shirt that makes me love it but I do think it is due to how simple it looks. I love the how the red is the main colour with a little bit of gold and black. I just wish the sponsor wasn't too big on the front as it does take away from the simplicity a bit and is there really any need for the sponsor to be so big? Make the sponsor a bit smaller and you will have the perfect simplistic shirt that stands out for all the right reasons. 


Fiorentina 

I absolutely love this seasons Fiorentina shirt, it carries on with the purple that the club is known for and is just that bit different to other clubs home shirts due to the colour. I love how you get a bit extra added to what would otherwise be a plain shirt thanks to the Kappa logo detailing on the sleeve with the white cuffs. The white and purple work really well together and although there is a fair bit of branding on the shirt it works well. 


Bayern Munich 

To say I don't really pay much attention to Bayern Munich I always seem to fall in love with their shirts. Bayern Munich seem to have a great shirt each season and this season is definitely no different. I love the red with the subtle red and white stripes down the side. I also love how the shirts seems a little bit longer in the back which you don't often see. The shirt is just so simple but looks like it could turn into a classic due to it's simplicity which you don't see many big clubs doing these days. 



Borussia Dortmund

Puma have killed it with this seasons BVB shirt in my opinion. Sticking with the classic yellow and black I love how the yellow is broken down by what I can only describe as black tiger stripes. These just make the shirt stand out from the crowd and gives the shirt a great effect overall. The best thing is that even though it is a standout shirt, it isn't too in your face, it is a shirt I would happily wear on a day to day basis. 


 Marseille

Another shirt that Puma have done really well this season is this Marseille one. I love how simple it appears at first glance, a white shirt but with a little blue on the collar and sleeves. But when you do look closer you see that hidden detail print on the shirt, it is subtle but noticeable. Again this is definitely a shirt you could easily wear on a day to day basis. It is nice to see a shirt that is nice and subtle like this compared to some other designs we have seen this year. 

So there you have it those are a few of my favourite home shirts for the teams overseas. Maybe one day some of these may find their way into my shirt collection.  Which overseas team's home shirts are you loving this season?

Bradford City Women & Chorley Will Need To Wait A Little Bit Longer For The Return To Football

It was meant to be Bradford City women's long awaited return to the pitch after yet another postponement due to the Coronavirus pandemic however, unfortunately for Bradford the weather had other issues? The game was meant to see Bradford taken on Chorley women but it was always going to be questionable thanks to the rainfall in Bradford since Saturday night. 

Whilst driving over to the game we were wondering if it was actually going to take place as the roads were bad and the history the pitch at Eccleshill has of being waterlogged it got us wondering if we were going to arrive at an abandoned game. When we arrived to the ground about 20 minutes away from kick off the pitch didn't look too in fact the goal line and around the centre circle just looked like a boggy mess. It definitely surprised us when the teams came out to start the game as conditions just got worse and didn't look like they were going to let off any time soon. 

With both teams not having played since the start of the second lockdown due to the league postponements I was intrigued to see how the break would have affected both sets of players as it can't be helpful with the stop start aspect of this season. But with how City had started to progress before the enforced break it was always going to be interesting to see how things would go on the first game back.  There was a steady start from both sides with City moving the ball well however, in the early minutes City were awarded a free kick, the referee called both captains over and eventually called to abandon the game. It was strange how he didn't seem to consult the managers about his decision but at the end of the day conditions were getting worse and the game possibly shouldn't have kicked off in the first place. 

Bradford are due to play Barnsley on Sunday who played their first game back today so it is going to be interesting to see if that game they have played will have any impact on the pace of the game or if it is going to work in City's favour as they will have fresher legs going into the game. 

Whilst we might have to wait another week to see City back in full action I guess that isn't a long time compared to the delays we have had so far this season. At least we got to see the ball kicked around for a few minutes before the game was called off, let's just hope we don't see this happening too much or games are just going to start piling up for the clubs. 

Growing Up Here Are The Manchester United Players I loved...

 In terms of who I support in football my answer will always be Bradford City however, I certainly have a soft spot for Manchester United and even managed to get to a few games. I would pick up a new shirt most years and some of my favourite players ever have played for the club. I used to love sitting and watching games and keeping track of how well they were doing and there were just some certain players I could not get enough of. So here are my favourite Manchester United players I have witnessed play for the club over the years that I have been watching them...


Ruud Van Nistelrooy 
Ah Van Nistelrooy one of the first attackers I really paid attention to. People used to claim he was a bit of a goal line hanger but for me it was a case of he was always in the right place at the right time. There was just something about him that drew me to watching him play he was certainly a stand out. I even have a Van Nistelrooy scarf somewhere. 


Edwin Van Der Sar
90% of the time I would never consider adding a goalkeeper to a favourite list of mine but Van Der Sar was just an absolutely fantastic goal keeper and very rarely let his side down. He worked really well with those players around him and was a goalkeeper where you could see the passion when he played. 


Roy Keane
I honestly don't think they make them like Roy Keane anymore. He was a no nonsense hard hitter who Man Utd could really do with these days. I can honestly say I would have never have wanted to play against him as one wrong move and that was it you have a target on your back for the full 90 minutes. What I still love about Roy is how he is a great pundit too as he is one of the ones who really knows what he is talking about still and you can still see the passion when he talks about United. 


Cristiano Ronaldo 
Ronaldo is certainly that one player I was mesmerized with growing up and honestly still to this day he is constantly impressing me as the skill he brings to the teams he plays on is another level. Growing up when I was playing I just wanted to play like him as he was that player who always stood out.  


Nani
Nani is another player who always stood out when he played at United and honestly he still does over in the MLS for Orlando City in my opinion. I was so glad when he signed for the MLS team I support as it meant I had even more reason to follow him once again. There was just something about him that stood out when he was at United and that back flip celebration was great. 



Patrice Evra
Of course footballs funny man is on this list. Evra was a fantastic defender and was also great at helping the team get into some very dangerous positions. Even when his time at United was up I was occasionally checking up on where he ended up and how he was doing and now his social media is one of my favourites with the videos he creates for them. I enjoy seeing him commentating on games too as he doesn't take it overly serious but certainly gets his point across. 


Chicharito
I think it was the day Man Utd announced that they signed Chicharito that I said I wanted his name on the back of my shirt that year. He certainly didn't disappoint me either, I remember telling my grandad he would do well for the club and he said he wasn't sure but Chicharito definitely proved himself. So much so when West Ham signed him I even checked their progress too to see how well he was doing. 


David Beckham
Would it be a favourite United players without the legend that is David Beckham? There was just something with Beckham that made the way he made those passes, curled those free-kicks and just ruled the pitch. We went to the reunion game last year and WOW he could have easily have still been playing with some of the passes he was picking out. For me he definitely made that number 7 stand out whilst I was growing up and he was certainly one of my biggest inspirations growing up. 

So there you have it those are those Manchester United players that have stood out to me throughout the years that I have been watching. Who are some of your favourite past Manchester United players?