lunedì 24 agosto 2020

Panini/Este - Liga 2013/14


With a fantastic season, Atletico Madrid won the Liga 2013/2014 (90 points) defeating Barcelona (87 points) and Real Madrid (87 points). Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded as the Best Player of La Liga 2013/14 and he won also the Pichichi trophy scoring 31 goals in the league, three more than Messi. 
The official sticker collection of the season was published again by Colecciones Este/ Panini. The album is very similar to the previous edition, with the usual early released followed by new stickers of players during the season. On the cover, two of the best midfielders: Iniesta and Modrid.
Before the presentation of the competing clubs, there are two sections with the club badges (La mejor Liga del mundo) and the managers (Entrenadores) of the season 2013-14. Each sticker of this section includes one badge and one manager. Therefore, the club badges are half size non shiny stickers, which is disappointing for the level of the league. 
The club pages include the space for 16 player stickers on the album. For several spots there is more than one sticker released (A/B stickers or Coloca stickers). Therefore, it can be either chosen to stick only one of them or to partially stick one on top of the other as suggested by Panini (and shown in this review).


















After the Liga clubs, the album continues with the special section Equipazos, which includes 20 stickers of team celebrations (one per club). These are special shiny stickers, the only shiny stickers of this collection.
Then the second league (Liga Adelante) is presented with the club badge stickers of the 22 competing teams (half sticker per badge). In the last part of the album there is space for the latest signings (Ultimos Fichajes). In this section we find 64 regular stickers and 7 extra stickers (5 stickers "B" and two variations, the stickers of Neymar and Isco). The album ends with the usual and useless Chicles section (low quality stickers to be found in chewing gums).








Back cover of the album

Stickers A and B can be placed on the album one on top of the other. The sticker on top should be only partially stuck to be able to see the sticker underneath. Here an example with Di Maria and Higuain.

The strikers Diego Costa (27 goals in the league 2013/14) and Benzema (17 goals)

Top goalscorers of La Liga 2013/2014: Messi (2nd with 28 goals) and C.Ronaldo (1st with 31 goals)

Rising stars Ivan Rakitic and Antoine Griezmann

Last signings (Ultimos fichajes): Neymar (Barcelona) and Bale (Real Madrid)

Album details
Full name: Liga 2013-14
Publisher: Colecciones Este - Panini
Release: August 2013
Season: 2013/2014
League: Spanish (Liga BBVA)
Number of clubs: 20
Stickers per club: >16
Other sections:
  • La Mejor Liga del Mundo (10 stickers)
  • Entrenadores (10 stickers)
  • Equipazos (20 stickers)
  • Liga Adelante 2013-14 (11 stickers)
  • Ultimos Fichajes (71 stickers)
Extras:
  • Cromos conmemorativos (2 stickers)
  • Chicles La Liga
  • Update set - Mercado de Invierno (Mini album + 42 stickers)
Checklist: click here

Total number of stickers: 751 + extra's



 

mercoledì 19 agosto 2020

Merlin's Premier League 2004

 


F.A. Premier League 2004 is the 11th Premier league sticker collection published by Merlin since the first edition in 1994. It is another aurograph edition, in which all the player stickers are signed, as for the previous two editions (2002 and 2003). The album starts with the contents and an introduction including two large size shiny stickers: the F.A. Premier League logo and trophy. Then, the 20 competing clubs are shown in alphabetical order with a total of 28 stickers displaced over six pages. In the first two pages the club is presented with the shiny sticker of the badge and three large size stickers: the team photo, the key player (shiny) and the star striker (shiny). In the other four pages, 24 players of the squad are presented with a portrait sticker and career details of each player. 
Arsenal were the champions at the end of the season 2003/2004 with 90 points, well ahead of Chelsea (79 points) and Manchester United (75 points). They could count on 30 goals of the league top scorer Thierry Henry.














In the center of the album there are two special sections. "The Kits" includes the home uniform stickers of the 20 competing clubs. There are in total 10 shiny stickers in this section (one kit is half sticker). "2002/03 Premiership Top Ten" includes six shiny stickers of players with the best records in the previous season: Van Nistelrooy, Mellberg, Henry, Beattie, Friedel, and Shearer. 






















Back cover of the album

Top scorers Thierry Henry (30 goals, 1st place) and Alan Shearer (22 goals, 2nd place)

Shiny badges from the Merlin's Premier League 2004 collection

Argentinian talented players at Chelsea: Juan Sebastian Veron and Hernan Crespo

Regular and shiny stickers of Wayne Rooney (Everton)

Cristiano Ronaldo's first Premier League stickers: regular and shiny

Legendary midfielders: Ryan Giggs (Manchester Utd) and Dino Baggio (60 caps and 7 goals with Italy)

Album details:
Full name: F.A. Premier League 2004
Publisher: Merlin
Season: 2003/2003
League: English Premier League
Number of clubs: 20
Stickers per club: 28
Other sections:
  • Introduction (2 stickers)
  • The Kits (10 stickers)
  • 2002/2003 Premier League Top Tens (6 stickers)
Extra: poster "Derby Days" Sugar Puffs (20 stickers Q1-Q20)
Updates: no
Checklist: click here

Total number of stickers: 578