Footballer Isco Alarcón Signs With Skechers

MADRID--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 20, 2025--

Skechers Football brings champion strength to the pitch in Spain with the signing of Isco Alarcón, the celebrated midfielder from Real Betis Balompié. Well known for his ball skills, Alarcón is already competing in the Skechers Razor 1.5 Elite —the lightweight speed boot for players who want amazing fit, feel, and touch on the pitch. Alarcón will appear in marketing campaigns supporting Skechers Football.

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Real Betis Balompié midfielder Isco Alarcón signs with Skechers and now competes in Skechers Razor 1.5 Elite boots. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Football and life are played better when you feel comfortable at every step,” said Isco. “I’m very excited to be part of the Skechers family in this next chapter in my career.”

“Isco Alarcón is a great football player with a significant track record at the national level. He’s returning from an injury to his elite-level play, which is the perfect time to officially bring him onto Team Skechers,” added Txerra Díaz, Country Manager of Skechers Iberia. “We believe he fully aligns with the brand’s profile and will help players across Spain and Portugal discover Skechers Football and the signature Comfort That Performs offered by our boots.”

Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez (Benalmádena, Málaga, April 21, 1992) is a world-renowned attacking midfielder, thanks to his outstanding performances in the Spanish League and various international competitions. He has played for Valencia CF, Málaga CF and Real Madrid, with whom he won five UEFA Champions League titles, before joining Real Betis Balompié. His exquisite technique, tactical intelligence and ability to make a difference on the field have established him as one of the great midfielders of his generation.

Alarcon adds his superstar power to the roster of talented athletes currently competing in Skechers Football boots in Spain, including Iker Losada from the Celta, Antonio Sánchez from Real Mallorca, and Pere Milla from Espanyol, among others.

The Skechers Football range spans three Elite styles for men and women including the new Electrum Pack. The Skechers Razor is a lightweight speed boot with an explosive track-inspired design to maximize acceleration and energy return. It features a carbon-infused soleplate for responsive power and agility during play. The SKX_01 is ideal for striking the ball with a custom last meticulously crafted to optimize comfort and deliver a perfect fit for enhancing touch on the field. Both boots are available in standard low-profile with the SKX_01 also available in a high-top version.

In addition to the Elite styles, Skechers also offers a line of Academy boots perfect for all levels of play with maximized performance and comfort, as well as Youth and Kids boots for the next generation of players who want to emulate their favorite stars, featuring an adaptable fit and enhanced comfort in every pair. Both ranges are available in firm ground and turf styles.

Skechers Football launched at the start of the 2023/24 season when the brand signed Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane as the first pro to compete in the boot. Skechers has since expanded its roster with several elite athletes including winger Baris Alper Yilmaz from the Turkey National Team, West Ham United and Ghana National Team winger Mohammed Kudus, Arsenal and Ukrainian National Team defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, Nottingham Forest and Swedish National Team forward Anthony Elanga, as well as additional men’s and women’s professional athletes globally.

Beyond football, the Skechers team of elite athletes competing in the brand’s performance footwear includes basketball stars Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Terance Mann, Josh Green, and Rickea Jackson; golfers Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooke Henderson; pickleball pros Tyson McGuffin and Catherine Parenteau; and Major League Baseball players Clayton Kershaw and Aaron Nola, among others.

The Skechers Football collection is available at Skechers websites, select Skechers retail stores, as well as specialty football retailers worldwide such as Fútbol Emotion in Spain. Football fans can get behind-the-scenes access to Skechers Football product launches and more by following @skechersfootball on Instagram and TikTok.

About Skechers USA Iberia, S.L. and SKECHERS U.S.A., Inc.

Skechers USA Iberia, S.L. is a subsidiary of Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (NYSE:SKX), The Comfort Technology Company ® based in Southern California. Skechers designs, develops, and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The Company’s collections are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores and direct to consumers through skechers.com and approximately 5,300 Skechers retail stores. A Fortune 500 ® company, Skechers manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results, and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, the opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the disruption of business and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; delays or disruptions in our supply chain; international economic, political and market conditions including the effects of inflation and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations around the world, the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States, and the impact of wars, acts of war and other conflicts around the world; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q in 2024. Taking these and other risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration, the dynamic nature of these circumstances means that what is stated in this press release could change at any time, and as a result, actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time, and we cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.

Skechers Football releases the new Electrum Pack, now available with the SKX_01 and Skechers Razor boots. (Photo: Business Wire)

ROME (AP) — Jannik Sinner has gone all the way to the final in his first tournament back from a three-month doping ban.

And Carlos Alcaraz is waiting for him in the Italian Open title match.

The top-ranked Sinner rallied past No. 12 Tommy Paul 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals on Friday as he attempts to become the first Italian man to lift the Rome trophy since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Earlier, Alcaraz advanced to his first Rome final by beating Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Sunday’s final will mark the first meeting between Sinner and Alcaraz since October, when Alcaraz won the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz holds a 6-4 edge in his career meetings with Sinner and has won three straight against his biggest rival.

But Sinner has not lost since that defeat to Alcaraz in Beijing and is on a 26-match winning streak. He’s playing his first tournament since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

“He’s playing great. I’ve been watching his matches,” Alcaraz said. “His level is really high right now. Every time that I play against him is always a battle, always really, really tough. I kind of enjoy (those) moments.”

Sinner cranked up his level to near perfection in a rout of Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Against Paul, Sinner made unforced errors in the first set while his American opponent hit shot after shot on the lines. But Sinner quickly turned the match around.

“Everybody saw the game against Casper,” Alcaraz said. “It’s a huge level.”

Sinner is the first Italian man in the Rome final since Panatta lost the 1978 title match to Bjorn Borg, and Alcaraz noted that playing Sinner before his home crowd will be “even more challenging.”

Sinner's fans have been out in full force for all of his matches, many of them wearing wigs and hats in orange — his theme color. One fan held aloft a sign during the semifinal that translated from Italian to, “Sinner, we missed you.”

In February, Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised questions, since the three-month suspension conveniently allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams and come back at his home tournament.

Rome is the last big warmup before the French Open starts on May 25.

It’s the third final in three clay-court events this season for Alcaraz, who won the Monte Carlo Masters and finished runner-up in the Barcelona Open. He withdrew from the Madrid Open because of injury.

The third-ranked Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid tournament with an upper right leg issue and also had a left leg injury. In Rome, he has been wearing a long black brace covering the upper portion of his right leg stretching down to just below his knee.

Musetti took the first set off Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final but Alcaraz broke the Italian’s serve in the first game of the rematch to silence the pro-Musetti crowd on Campo Centrale. Musetti didn’t help himself with unforced errors and began pushing Alcaraz only at the end of the set.

Musetti was docked a point for misbehavior late in the second set after receiving a warning earlier for breaking his racket.

On a windy day at the Foro Italico, Alcaraz said it wasn’t about playing “brilliant,” but rather “smart tennis” was required.

“Waiting for your chances to play aggressive, so I think I did it pretty well,” Alcaraz said. “I stayed strong mentally when things didn’t went to my side.”

Alcaraz is playing the Italian Open for the second time. During his Rome debut last year, he lost to then-135th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round.

The women’s final on Saturday features Coco Gauff against Jasmine Paolini.

Paolini and partner Sara Errani also advanced to the women’s doubles final when they beat Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-4 in a rematch of last year’s Olympic final also won by the Italians.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Jannik Sinner fans wait for the start of the semifinal tennis match against Tommy Paul, of the United States, at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italy's Jannik Sinner stands on the court during his semifinal tennis match against Tommy Paul, of the United States, at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning the semifinal tennis match against taly's Lorenzo Musetti at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italy's Lorenzo Musetti returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz walks on the court during the semifinal tennis match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italy's Lorenzo Musetti returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)