I have just finished my Panini Foot 2016-17 album after ordering it directly from Panini and receiving via DHL within 48 hours. I have to say that I am really impressed with the quickness of their deliveries, plus its cheaper than ordering on ebay. The album arrived sealed and in fantastic condition. I did have to sort all of the stickers into numerical order which did take a little time, but it did enable me to ensure that all of the stickers had arrived and none were missing.
Having looked at the album initially, I found that the album size has increased and is a similar size to the English albums from the late 1980's and in my opinion looks really good and feels a bit retro which I like.
Each Ligue 1 team has 4 pages dedicated to them with their Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Club Website accounts for information in the Social Room section. There is also a Panini Pedia section at the bottom of each page which is quite interesting with some history of each club and also some older players being shown in their old stickers that Panini have produced throughout the years. There are action stickers for the players on the first two pages and the usual player stickers on the second of the two pages which are half-sized and split over one main sticker size. I like the layout of the pages and quite simple, but lots of information shown. There is also the shiny team crest and squad photo, with 4 spaces for players transferred in for each team, of which I like the idea, but never like to use.
In the middle of the album there is a detachable poster for the French national squad with a sticker for each player, which is a nice touch, and keeps the collector interested particularly as a lot of the squad do not play in Ligue 1 so it's nice to know who is in contention for the national team. I guess this has been added instead of a singular national album, of which has been produced here for the home nations in the UK. Maybe something that Panini could consider for the main national teams in the seasons that do not end with a World Cup or Euro Tournament?
The good thing about the French leagues is that Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 are not separate in licence so Panini is able to show the teams in the lower division. Each team is detailed form Ligue 2 with a shiny club crest, team photo and two players from each of the teams and also the squad numbers are detailed. The Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Club Website is also added for contacts in a Social Room section.
Overall, I really enjoyed this album and the time I took to stick all of the stickers in. Having had a read through it now completed, I do like the look of it. The pages are of a good condition and no pages became detached from the staples while going through the album, a complaint that I do have with the Topps albums of late. As a collector, I do recommend this album and if anyone does choose to purchase it, then go directly to Panini's website and not on ebay - it's a lot better value.