What should you buy?

After I typed up that blog yesterday, I realized that their was one obvious answer to the question, which merchandise is the best for a soccer player. It is of course what the whole game is played with, a ball! You can not play soccer without a ball! You could play socccer in your bare feet or with socks, with no jersey or no shirt. So clearly you need a ball. But lets say you already have a regular ball and you are wondering wheather you should get an Official Match Ball, Cleats, and so on! Well that is where the debate starts.

Firstly lets start if you are just a plain fan and not a player. You really want to show your team spirtit and you can have only one thing,ONLY ONE. There is lots of stuff out there from posters to hats, to wristbands, to backpacks. A lot of people like scarves too, but you have to remember it is hot in other places in the world, while it is almost always cold in England. But really what would show your team spirit the most? I would say it would have to be a Replica Jersey. This way you are wearing a jersey that most people will recognize and people will say hey, he is a Man U fan or hey he is an Arsenal fan. You can wear it to games or to a friends house and show off who your team is.Also, you can where it almost anywhere! Yes, there is one set back to the jersey, that is that a real official jersey costs around 80-95 dollars, depending on if it is long sleeved, short sleeved, and the place you bought it from. If you do not want to spend that much on the newest kit, then why not get an older kit for less? You could have a jersey from a few years back and it would still look pretty cool. I've seen jerseys that where just last season's, already on sale for 25 dollars! So clearly if you are looking to show your team spirit, buy a jersey!

Now time for if you are just a plain player and not a fan. There is lots of stuff they make for the player these days ranging from the craziest training gear to the most expensive match balls. Remember you already have your regular ball. Lets say you already have the essentials like shin guards and socks. If you wanted to train I would not waste my money on a piece of equipment that breaks down after one day of use. I would just go strait out and buy a goal and maybe some cones to dribble through, but that still is not the main thing a player needs. Some people say, "Oh you need an official match ball. It has such a better touch and feel". But do you know how much one of those costs! A whopping 150 Dollars! I just think that a soccer ball can not be worth that much in less it has been used in a real game or signed by the whole squad of a Premier League Team. It is just not worth it to buy a ball for 150, when you could just go out and buy a 15 dollar ball and have loads of fun and good work. I think what a player really needs is some nice cleats. Cleats that are made great and by a good company can range from 90 dollars to 210 dollars and even more than that. The reason the cleats are worth that money, is if you love to play soccer and play it a lot, you need some good cleats that last long and are great to play with every time you hit the pitch.Everybody wants their shoes to be comfortable, I see your cleats should be the same way.  You know that you are going to get good use out of a nice pair of Puma, Nike, or Adidas cleats (along with other brands). Sometimes great cleats can go on sale for just 70-90 dollars! So if you are a player looking for a piece of equipment go out and buy some well made, nice cleats.

There you have it! Those are the two most important things to have if you are a fan and a player. If you still wanted something more and you are a fan, I would think a scarf is a good purchase. If you are a player and still wanted more I would try to find a cheap priced soccer goal, a bag to carry around your equipment, or some nice adidas/ nike flip flops for after practice/game.

Thanks for reading, come back tomorrow!