The GOAL Awards 2023: The 23 best football products and media of the year

Notable Mentions: Venezia FC Third Kit, Jamaica x Wales Bonner Home Kit.

An easy win for the Victoria Park Vixens this year. Coming up against some of the biggest names in football, their new home kit dazzled us all.

Decked in exquisite shades of wine featuring new kit manufacturer Kappa and an all-new logo, the Vixens have truly outdone themselves with this one.

Looks as good on the pitch as it will on the streets. Up the Vixens.

Follow the Victoria Park Vixens for updates on the upcoming kit launch and support the Vixens in their 2024 campaign.

Notable Mentions: Juventus 2023-24 Pre-Match Shirt, Bayern Munich 2023-24 Pre-Match Shirt.

An iconic shirt for a North London legend. Who knew Ian Wright's 60th birthday would give us a whole Wrighty-inspired collection, and the star of the show, a pre-match shirt for the books.

Filled with all the great memories and career highlights of the Arsenal legend all over the shirt, it's a tribute worthy of an award.

Notable Mentions: Pompeii x Kappa, Top Boy x Hackney Wick 2.0.

adidas and Arsenal linked up once again with British designer Stella McCartney to support Arsenal Women on and off the pitch. Introducing, the first bespoke kit for Arsenal Women, and what a beauty.

The knockout away shirt takes centre stage with a fusion of geometric patterns and accents of pink and blue. A big win for Arsenal, and an even bigger win for female players.

Notable Mentions:adidas Predstrike Predator, Messi x adidas Crazyfast 'Las Estrellas'.

2023 was a huge year for women's football, and with the rise came advancements that were long due. Back in the summer, Under Armour unveiled its first-ever football boot designed specifically for the female foot, with global football sensations Alex Greenwood and Kelley O'Hara front and centre.

If you're tired of boots never fitting quite right, Under Armour’s Magnetico 3 is the answer. A football boot that is specifically tailored to the female foot and equips you with everything you could need to excel when it matters most. It's a 10/10 from us.

Notable Mentions: PUMA King Ultimate x [AoF], adidas x Bugatti.

Luxury football boots at its finest. Unveiling new iterations of the Predator Accuracy, the Copa Pure, and X Crazyfast, the adidas x Prada collab infused Italian luxury into the best of adidas football.

Crafted from high-performance, luxury materials with bold Prada Linea Rossa detailing, it's exactly what you would expect from a Pradidas football boot. It's smart. It's cool. It's football.

Notable Mentions:PUMA Tricks Ultra Ultimate, adiPURE 11Pro 2 - Toni Kroos.

adidas’ Predator 30 only arrived at the start of December, but the late entry has already cemented its status as one of the year’s best. 

Another worthy win for adidas, the adidas Predator 30 celebrates everything that makes the Predator an icon. The perfect nostalgia boot, featuring the return of the foldover tongue, these are the latest holy grail of football boots.

Honourable Mentions: adidas Fevernova Sala (2002 re-release), adidas MLS 24 Pro.

Another year, another great ball from Nike. This year’s winter edition of the Premier League ball brought an icon centre stage, dressed in Hi-Vis. 

The design saw the classic yellow base finished off with an inky shroud spread across the ball’s surface, providing definition when the ball is in motion. Finer details included each player’s nation highlighted with coordinates printed within the ball’s surface, drawing inspiration from the 121 nationalities represented in the league. An aesthetically great ball, with the AerowSculpt technology to match. 

While the official match ball will set you back a fair few pounds, the replica Academy ball comes in at just under £30 at Nike.

Honourable Mentions: G-Form Pro-S Vento Shin Guard, adidas X PRO.

Another win for Nike, the Mercurial Lite SuperLock is what caught our eye this year - and not just because of that colourway. 

Nike’s Mercurial Lite has been an essential shin guard in many players’ kitbags, but the addition of the SuperLock brought new life to a staple guard. This low-profile and durable guard boasts foam backing for a personalised feel, and those SuperLock layers press into sock fibres to help secure the fit. 10/10.

Honourable Mentions: adidas Predator Pro Promo, PUMA Ultra Grip 1.

All-new and improved, the Future Ultimate NC was created to improve performance even further. Engineered for maximum freedom of movement and support, these gloves aim to enhance every move on the pitch. 

The ultimate goalkeeper glove, plus damn pretty too. 

Notable Mentions: Therabody RecoveryTherm Cube, Nike Winter Warmer Snood.

Worn by professionals and a favourite on the pitches of Wednesday 5-a-side. 2023 has beheld the rise of the grippy socks, making their way into kitbags across the world. 

Designed to enhance stability, control and comfort for athletes looking to up their game and gain an edge on the pitch. A must-have in your kitbag.

Notable Mentions: LG C2, SAMSUNG Q80B.

Encompassing all the greatness of an OLED TV, colour unlike you have ever seen before, the SONY A80K allows you to immerse yourself in every game. 

4.5 stars and counting on SONY, when put to the test, this Smart TV excels in motion and image processing, colour resolution and spatial sound. As close as you can get to the real thing, minus the aged plastic seats and 6’5” belter in front of you. 

Notable Mentions: NBA 2K24, Football Manager 2024.

Back with a new name for 2024, but still as great as it’s ever been, retaining the title of the best football game of our time. 

The latest instalment comes with more realistic player animations, the introduction of PlayStyles, female players in Ultimate Team, and so much more. Experience. Style. Authenticity. Big game, big win.

Notable Mentions: Call of Duty Mobile, Monopoly GO!

As the year comes to a close, we have to look back and admire the little things that got us through those packed commutes and sleepless nights, because there's nothing quite like a quick game to pass some time.

So, while we couldn't pick one, Apple Arcade came in and took the win.

Home to over 200+ games, from brain-teasers to action-packed sports to beloved classics, it's the best of gaming on the go. Try it out with a free trial and see for yourself just why we love it so.

Notable Mentions: My Wrexham Story by Paul Mullin, What It Takes: My Playbook on Life and Leadership by Sarina Wiegman.

Now available in paperback, we thought we’d bring back this beauty of a book to get the recognition it deserves. 

This book is the astonishing history of women’s football: from the game’s first appearance in England in the late nineteenth century to the incredible teams that at their height drew 53,000 spectators to Goodison Park, through to its fifty-year ban in the UK and the aftershocks when restrictions were lifted.

Winner of the Sunday Times Sports Book Award, this is a truly important book you need in your bookcase.

Honourable Mentions: GLORY, These Football Times.

Another year, another win for MUNDIAL. The best football magazine on the planet.

2023 saw MUNDIAL release four beautiful print magazines, from The Coolest Goalkeepers to The Three Rs; 2023 was one giant love letter to the beautiful game.

Top-tier writing and top-tier socials. They can really do no wrong. Here's to 2024 - more MUNDIAL, more football.

Notable Mentions: 1967: When LA Wolves Conquered The USA, Matilda's: The World At Our Feet.

Another sensational year for football documentaries and a big win for Netflix sensation Beckham - an intimate and honest look into the rise of David Beckham filled with great football, highs and lows, humour and Posh Spice.

Football fan or not, you can't not appreciate the raw look into the politics of football from a world-class footballer. It's '90s football nostalgia at its finest.

Notable Mentions: Milan x Off-White, Liverpool x Converse.

History, colour and identity. A three-way collaboration with a natural fit, and one for the books.

For Dutch brand Patta, football is woven into its rich history. So, when you entwine Amsterdam and Barcelona, two cities with a deep connection across generations, you get a collection rich in identity, passion and DNA.

The collab takes the connection and 'Barca-blood' literally, with motifs using the Blaugrana colour scheme to show the blood and DNA pumping through the club, emanating from the heart. Sensational.

Notable Mentions: Rashford x Nike, Sterling x Clarks.

All the way back in January of 2023, we got our very first Signature New Balance boot for Saka, and what a beauty it was.

A homage to his Ealing roots, in vibrant red, Saka's Furon v7 Signature Edition is a tribute to the area he grew up in and how that has helped shape the person he is today.

Saka's love of his home in West London is at the core of the limited edition boot and made it an instant winner for us and fans alike.

Notable Mentions: Mitre x Lack of Guidance, Nike x Martine Rose.

Retro jacquard football shirts, instant yes. Inspired by the glory days of vintage kits and your average British match-goer, Percival’s classic style, partnered with Jameson’s affinity to the casual football fan, makes this collaboration a big win.

Three colours, three perfect kits for both on and off the pitch.

Notable Mentions: Meyba x The Beatles, Haaland x Beats by Dre

A limited edition Rolling Stone kit. That's all.

Unveiled ahead of one of the biggest derby games of the season, The Stones' iconic tongue and lips logo takes centre-stage on the Barcelona El Clasico kit.

The limited edition kit, alongside a lifestyle collection and matchday playlist, perfectly connects fans, artists and athletes. Everyone, take notes.

Notable Mentions: The Chelsea Collection, Juventus x adidas Essentials Vintage Collection.

Where a retro release is concerned, adidas Originals know what they're doing. A look back into the adidas football archives, and we get the best international kits brought back to life.

Reimagined classics for the streets more so than the pitch, the adidas Originals Icons collection revived classics from all over the globe, from Germany to Argentina to Chile.

Notable Mentions: Nike x Corteiz, Salomon x Sandy Liang.

Another win for adidas x Wales Bonner this year. 2023, the year of the adidas Samba, and if you were lucky, you had a Wales Bonner Samba in your rotation.

The must-have collab of the year saw these pairs sell out in minutes, and it comes as no surprise. Beautiful leathers and exquisite colour combinations, the Samba has never looked so lavish. We'll happily take one in every colour.

Notable Mentions: SAGE NATION, Sokito.

2023 was the year of Wales Bonner, from the cult adidas Samba to the iconic Jamaica national team kits.

The British fashion label's timeless fusion of sport and style makes for an electrifying new take on the football x fashion crossover, with collections topped with jerseys, tracktops and trainers.

Exceptional craftsmanship and embellishments, following the 2023 success of Wales Bonner, one can only imagine the heights the brand will take in 2024. High fashion and football influence, we can't get enough.