✔️ Secret Mixtape - revisiting one of the most iconic adverts of all time.

If you’re a fan of vintage football adverts, you’ll be sure to remember Nike’s ‘Secret Tournament’ ad, from around the time of the 2002 World Cup in Japan/Korea. Arguably the greatest football advert of all time.

The ad featured a secret cage tournament full of 24 of world football’s elite contemporary players. The tournament was hosted on a container ship and the prize was the honour of being the best 3-a-side team in the world.

The tournament was hosted by arguably the best of the bunch, Eric Cantona. Nothing got past the wily Frenchman. The cynics among us would’ve loved to see him competing in the tournament but no one messes with King Eric, so it made sense for him to be dictating the show. Zut alors!

Those with sharp memories will remember the iconic soundtrack of the ad. Hearing the Junkie XL remix of Elvis’ ‘A Little Less Conversation’ nowadays takes you straight back to the 2002 advert with memories of Mendieta, Van Nistelrooy and Wiltord.

The tournament finale featured Thierry Henry, Francesco Totti and Hidetoshi Nakata battling it out against Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo with the former coming away with the victory. Legends.. legends everywhere.

For 18 years, we have kept our involvement in the tournament a complete secret but it’s time to reveal. We have scoured the archives and dug out a memento of our time on the ship: the secret tournament’s secret mixtape.

We’ll leave you with the teams featured in the iconic advert. Which is your favourite?

Triple Espresso: Thierry Henry, Francesco Totti & Hidetoshi Nakata.

The Onetouchables: Patrick Vieira, Ruud Van Nistelrooy & Paul Scholes.

Toros Locos: Freddie Ljungberg, Javier Saviola & Luis Enrique.

Cerberus: Edgar Davids, Lilian Thuram & Sylvain Wiltord.

Os Tornados: Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos & Ronaldo.

Funk Seoul Brothers: Denilson, Ronaldinho & Seol Ki-hyeon.

Tutto Bene: Fabio Cannavaro, Tomas Rosicky & Rio Ferdinand.

Equipo Del Fuego: Claudio Lopez, Gaizka Mendieta & Hernan Crespo.

Check out our Autumn/Winter 20 Collection, featuring the 'Secret Mixtape' design, on our website.