With grace and skill in abundance, Glenn Hoddle was a wonderfully gifted playmaker and, in many ways, an atypical English midfielder. Icons Legend of the Week #13 was an inspiration to a generation of players for whom technique was more important than the ability to run all day.

Voted Tottenham Hotspur's greatest player of all time, Hoddle was a sublime passer and a beautiful player to watch. After 12 glowing years, close to 500 appearances and 88 league goals for Spurs he moved for a spell at French side Monaco, before becoming player-manager at Swindon Town and later Chelsea. He hung up his boots in 1995 and went on to become England manager in 1996.

Hoddle joined Spurs as a schoolboy apprentice in April 1974 following a recommendation from another Spurs legend, Martin Chivers. He made his first team debut as a 17-year-old, coming off the bench against Norwich City in August 1875, but it wasn't until February 1976 that he made his first start in the First Division. He announced his arrival in sensational style, beating Stoke and England goalkeeper Peter Shilton with an outstanding long-range effort.

The 1979/80 season heralded Hoddle's emergence as a truly top-class player. With 19 goals in 41 league games he was deservedly named PFA Young Player of the Year. His breathtaking skill, vision and eye for the spectacular were at odds with the traditional British philosophy of tireless running and gutsy determination, but in Hoddle Spurs had unearthed a gem. Equally adept with both feet, as a youngster, Hoddle was used in the centre of midfield and on the wing. He went on to make the central birth his own.

Hoddle was the midfield fulcrum and creative hub of Spurs' great side of the 1980s. In 1981 he starred in Spurs sixth FA Cup win, scoring in the Final and in the Final replay against Manchester City. The following year Spurs retained the FA Cup with victory over Queens Park Rangers and secured 4^th place, their highest league finish since 1971. Two years later, Hoddle was the driving force behind Spurs' 1984 UEFA Cup triumph, despite missing the final due to injury. He put in a particularly memorable performance in their 6-2 Second Round aggregate win against a Feyenoord side featuring Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. Cruyff was so impressed by Hoddle's showing that he went into the Spurs dressing room at White Hart Lane to offer him his shirt after the match.

By this time Hoddle was already an established England international, and before his move to Monaco in 1987 he had already won 44 caps and featured prominently in the World Cups and European Championships of the 1980s. In total he won 53 caps and scored eight goals during an international career that lasted until 1988.

Then Monaco manager Arsene Wenger was the man who took Hoddle across the channel to France. Ironically, the two would come up against each other in the North London derby as managers of Spurs and Arsenal some years later. Hoddle scored 27 goals in 69 Ligue 1 games for Monaco. He inspired them to a title-win in his first season and was voted the Best Foreign Player in French Football. His exploits with Monaco helped to significantly improve the standing of English players in foreign countries.

Hoddle has found himself at the centre of stormy controversies on occasion, and as a manager he never enjoyed the greatest success. But putting all that aside, his on-pitch achievements at Tottenham and Monaco demand not to be forgotten. Hoddle was the most technically gifted English player of his generation, and his exciting and attractive style made him a rare breed. At a time when Fabio Capello's England are being left behind by a supremely technical Spain side, they could use a few more players like Glenn Hoddle. 

A footballing legend on and off the pitch, Icons Legend of the Week #8 is Arsenal goalkeeping great Bob Wilson.

Between 1963 and 1974, Wilson amassed over 300 appearances between the sticks for Arsenal and won two caps for Scotland. Despite taking an early retirement at the age of 32, a long career in coaching, broadcasting and charity work has seen him become one of Britain's most popular and respected football personalities.

Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire in 1941, Wilson was a late starter in professional football. Until Arsenal came knocking in 1963, he was in teacher training at Loughborough College while turning out as an amateur for Wolverhampton Wanderers Reserves. When he was signed by Billy Wright's Arsenal for £6,500, Wilson became the first amateur to move clubs for a transfer fee.

He arrived at Highbury as understudy to Jim Furnell, and despite making his debut in October 1963, he had to wait over four years to become the Gunners' first-choice. Manager Billy Wright was replaced by Bertie Mee, and Wilson duly won his first trophy with Arsenal during the 1969/70 campaign, when Arsenal overcame Belgians Anderlecht to claim the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. It was the Gunners' first piece of silverware since their 1952/53 Division One title.

Wilson was an unmovable figure in Arsenal's famous League and FA Cup double-winning 1970/71 season, during which he played every single first-team league and cup match and was named their player of the year.

1971 was also the year of Wilson's international call-up to the Scotland side. Eligibility rules had changed in 1970, allowing players to turn out for their parents' countries of origin. Wilson appeared for Scotland under Tommy Doherty against Portugal and Holland, but when Willie Ormerod took over as manager, he reverted to a Scottish-born number one, Bobby Clarke of Aberdeen, and Wilson was frozen out.

Wilson continued as Arsenal's number one until his retirement in May 1974. His involvement at the North London club was far from over, however, and after hanging up his boots he took on a coaching role. Wilson was the Gunners' goalkeeping coach for 28 years, working closely with fellow Arsenal greats Pat Jennings and David Seaman.

Wilson juggled coaching at Arsenal with a football broadcasting career, and after appearing as a pundit during the 1970 World Cup, he worked as a presenter with the BBC from 1974 to 1994 before moving to ITV. He has also devoted much of his time to charity work, and in 1999 he set up the Willow Foundation, to help people aged between 16 and 40 diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. In April 2011, Wilson, approaching 70-years-old, embarked on an incredible 500 mile 'Soccer Cycle' around every Premier League club in England. With the help of the likes of Lee Dixon, David Seaman and Les Ferdinand, the sponsored cycle raised more than £300,000 for the Willow Foundation.

A brave and supremely talented goalkeeper in his pomp, the Arsenal legend received an OBE in 2007, and remains a great authority and hugely respected commenter on the game today.

Likeable, passionate and devoted; modern football could use a few more characters like Bob Wilson.

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Have a look at our Bob Wilson collection here.

Apart from the fact that they are both incredible footballers...?  Earlier this month the icons team travelled down to Buenos Aires to meet up with Argentinian legend and current national team Manager, Diego Maradona.

As you can imagine, meeting up with Maradona was a dream come true for the team, and to do it in El Diego's back garden made it even more special. Make sure you take a look at the fantastic new personally hand-signed Argentina 1986 World Cup Winners shirts and brand new signed photographs capturing three classic moments from Maradona's World Cup in 1986.

* Maradona's famous "Hand of God"
* Maradona Vs Belgium
* Maradona lifting the World Cup

So what links Maradona and Rooney?  Well you may recall that a few months ago when we met up with Rooney in Manchester, we said we'd ask Maradona to sign a shirt for Rooney...  As you can see below, Maradona was only too happy to oblige!

Tonight's Champions League final has all the makings of a classic. Manchester United and Barcelona have both already wrapped up their domestic titles, in the two strongest leagues in Europe, so whoever wins will truly be able to call themselves the Champions of Europe.

It also pits against each other the two best players in the world right now, Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, in what Fabio Capello has dubbed the unofficial contest for the Ballon d'Or.

Icons has decided to celebrate this momentous occasion by offering 10 per cent off all our Ronaldo and Messi stock for 48 hours.

That's Manchester United home shirts, Barcelona home shirts, Portugal shirts, Argentina shirts, and all signed photographs.

Get yourself a bargain while you can.