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Doug Sibor contributes to Sneaker Report, Complex Media, and Bleacher Report, and can often be found shuttling between Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and TD Garden. If you wish to discuss sports, sneakers, reality TV or acceptable meats to use as pizza toppings, follow him here.
1.
No. 10 - Steve McManaman x adidas Copa Mundial Blackout
Team: Real Madrid
Date: 5/24/2000
Match: Real Madrid vs. Valencia
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In the first-ever clash between Spanish teams in a Champions League Final, it was an Englishman that made headlines as Real’s Steve McManaman made headlines for his stunning second half volley that sealed a win for his team. Wearing the adidas Copa Mundial, whose durable kangaroo leather upper was an ideal match for the rugged midfielder, McManaman took home Man of the Match honors as he became the first British player to win the Champions League title with a non-English team. It would be the highlight of McManaman’s Real career, as just the next season he would become embroiled in controversy when the team wanted to sell his rights but he wouldn’t leave.
2.
No. 9 - Vladimir Smicer x Mizuno Morelia Wave
Team: Liverpool
Date: 5/25/2005
Match: Liverpool vs. AC Milan
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After falling behind 3-0 by halftime, Liverpool looked to be finished in the 2005 Final. However, three goals in six minutes brought them level, and ultimately they would triumph in penalties. Their second goal, this sizzling strike from Vladimir Smicer, stayed low and found the far corner to give shift the momentum unquestionably in Liverpool’s favor. Smicer’s preferred boot was the Mizuno Morelia, which despite using all kangaroo leather in the upper managed to maintain a reasonable 8.8 ounce weight. This balance allowed Smicer, an attacking midfielder by trade, to move freely while at the same time knowing that he had a stable boot on his feet that would hold its shape if he needed to make any sudden moves.
3.
No. 8 - Zoltan Czibor x Puma Super Atom
Team: Barcelona
Date: 5/31/1961
Match: Benfica vs. Barcelona
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While the boots may not have been as elegantly designed as they are now, the footwear choices of players in the early 1960s still made a big different in their performance on the field. Barcelona’s Zoltan Czibor, a Hungarian international who scored a total of 17 goals in his 38 matches with Barcelona, needed a shoe that would help him find the back of the net for his team. The Puma Super Atom was a good choice for him, then, as the screw-in studs (a first in boot-making history) gave him the traction to quickly outmaneuver defenders and free himself for shots like this one, which kept his Barcelona side in the game.
4.
No. 7 - Roberto Pruzzo x adidas Copa Mundial
Team: AS Roma
Date: 5/30/1984
Match: Roma vs. Liverpool
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A very evenly matched game that went into overtime, the Liverpool-Roma clash in the 1984 Final was especially memorable for the Italian side, who were appearing in their very first championship match. After falling behind just 15 minutes into the game, Roma maintained their composure and were rewarded on this brilliant header by Roberto Pruzzo, a striker who scored 106 goals for Roma between 1978 and 1988 and wore the adidas Copa Mundial. The functional design of the Copa’s upper meant that the boots would maintain their shape and quality for a long period of time, their reliability making them a striker’s best friend.
5.
No. 6 - Didier Drogba x Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII
Team: Chelsea
Date: 5/19/2012
Match: Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich
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Chelsea looked overmatched throughout the first half of this match, getting outpossessed by Bayern Munich 60 percent to 40 percent and hardly sniffing a chance on goal. It was much of the same in the second half, and when Bayern scored with just seven minutes left to play it looked like the blues were finished. However, elevating in his lightweight Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba had other plans. His 88th minute equalizer, a screaming header to the near post that beat one of the world’s best goalkeepers (Manuel Neuer), sent the game to extra time and ultimately penalties, where Chelsea managed to pull out one final miraculous win in their run to the Champions League title.
6.
No. 5 - George Best x Stylo Matchmaker
Team: Manchester United
Date: 5/29/1968
Match: Manchester United vs. Benfica
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Given his last name, it was appropriate that this English legend would score a vital extra time goal to win the Champions League. With the game tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes, Best (and his Stylo Matchmakers) were ready to go from the opening whistle of extra time. Quickly cutting thanks in part to his boots’ secure fit, Best nutmegged his defender before juking the goalkeeper and slotting home what would prove to be the game-winning goal just three minutes into the extra period. His teammates would go on to add two more goals, as a 1-1 nail biter turned into a 4-1 rout for Manchester United.
7.
No. 4 - Hernan Crespo x adidas Predator Pulse
Team: AC Milan
Date: 5/25/2005
Match: AC Milan vs. Liverpool
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A breathtaking piece of team football resulted in Crespo’s goal, as AC Milan started with the ball just 30 yards from their own goal and sent Crespo in on the other net with just two passes. The Argentinian international took it from there, utilizing his boot’s PowerPulse technology to loft a perfectly weighted ball past Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek and vault his team into a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 first half lead. While Milan would ultimately collapse—yielding three goals in six minutes during the second half—Crespo’s delightful finish of Kaka’s brilliant through ball remained a small bright spot for the Italian side.
8.
No. 3 - Lars Ricken x Nike Tiempo Premier 94
Team: Borussia Dortmund
Date: 5/28/1997
Match: Borussia Dortmund vs. Juventus
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This was a fairytale ending for Lars Ricken, a local product from Dortmund who had entered the game only 16 seconds earlier as a substitute. His first touch on the ball all night long was this first-time effort, a majestically lofted ball that easily beat Italian national goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi and gave his team a title-clinching goal. Ricken chose the Nike Tiempo Premier 94 for this match, the soft leather upper providing the perfect surface for the kind of clean first touch necessary to unleash stunning efforts in goal like this one.
9.
No. 2 - Dejan Savicevic x Lotto Stadio
Team: AC Milan
Date: 5/18/1994
Match: AC Milan vs. Barcelona
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Milan’s 1994 side was as dominant as the Champions League has ever seen, conceding just two goals all tournament and never losing a match. Their performance in the Final was practically flawless, and Savicevic demonstrated their dominance with this wonderful lobbed goal that thrust his team into a 3-0 lead. Wearing the classic Lotto Stadio, the Yugoslavian winger effectively iced the game with a full 45 minutes still left to play. It was one of Savicevic’s best overall performances ever, and was widely considered one of the best individual games played all tournament long.
10.
No. 1 - Zinedine Zidane x adidas Predator Mania
Team: Real Madrid
Date: 5/15/2002
Match: Real Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen
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It really didn’t get more clutch than this. With the game tied at one and halftime nearing, the brilliant Zidane unleashed this incredible side volley with his alleged “off” foot, ripping the ball into the upper corner and giving Real Madrid what would prove to be the winning margin of victory. While incredible plays like this one seemed impossible by most standards, for Zidane it was practically a normal event; his incredible performances in big games (such as the 1998 World Cup Finals) have become part of his legend, and this stunning goal may be his best effort of all.
