German sports giants adidas have released some bold new football boots ahead of the upcoming 2022/23 season.
The bright new collection is called the ‘Game Data’ pack – a trio of new styles which all adidas athletes will wear. Sometimes, makers can go a bit too weird in an industry full of innovation and trial-and-error. For instance, who remembers when adidas added scales to their Predator boots?
Puma also once released Evospeed SL boots, which looked fine. However, in an insane piece of design, they were made to only last for ten games. There was even a label on the boot’s sole to inform the user – genuinely unbelievable stuff.
This time, Adidas will hope their latest designs follow the trajectory of some of the most iconic pieces of football footwear.
Iconic footwear through the years
One of the most legendary boots belongs to a different German manufacturer. The Puma King is a global icon: players such as Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Eusebio, and Pele all laced up the Kings.
Recently, Puma have revived the historic design, as PSG’s Neymar currently wears lightweight King Platinums.
Not to be outshone, Adidas’ Predator range has endorsed some of the best in the game too. The Predator forever changed football gear by featuring innovative technology, such as an elastic-held tongue and powerswerve instep.
Zinedine Zidane, Xavi, David Beckham, and Steven Gerrard all donned the boots, gifting the Predator a legacy that few can match.
But who can forget Nike? Their Mercurial has been the choice of speed demons and flair players for generations now. First worn by Ronaldo at the 1998 World Cup, the Mercurial evolved into a statement of flashy playstyle.
With Cristiano Ronaldo at the forefront of Mercurial wearers, Nike evolved the boot to make it as light and agile as possible. To help this, Nike used carbon fibre in the soleplate – a world-first in football design.
Adidas’ latest football boots
A leak from Footy Headlines got the jump on the official release of the German manufacturer’s latest offering. The ‘Game Data’ pack will come in Adidas’ three main football boots’ designs: the X Speedportal, Predator, and Copa.
The Adidas X Speedportal is set to take over from the Speedflow range. The Speedportal also appears to have a more streamlined shape than its predecessor, featuring a carbon fibre heel and extra studs to improve agility. In this new pack, the Speedportal boots also change the location of the iconic Adidas three stripes. They now sit towards the toe of the boot rather than along the side.
Their official colour is Hi-vis yellow with black detailing. Alongside this bold base colour, the three stripes are in red, to really stand out from the rest.
In contrast, the Predator Edge ‘Game Data’ offering is in the striking solar red colourway. The other colour featured is ‘solar green’, which is on the stripes and Adidas logo. Additionally, the Predator has raised ‘Controlskin’ on the toe, instep, and outside the front of the boot. These help maximise control and grip on the ball, benefitting the wearer.
Finally, the Copa Sense ‘Game Data’ is Adidas’ third offering from the latest boots collection. The Copa comes with the laceless fit style in a bright solar yellow, as do the Predator and Speedportal. With a black soleplate and red detailing on the heel, the design mimics the colourway from Adidas’ Predator release for the 2018 World Cup.
Players such as Mohamed Salah, Paulo Dybala, Lionel Messi, Pedri, and others will wear these spectacular new offerings from Adidas. With such eye-catching colours, you certainly will not miss these on the pitch.
Featured image credit: Getty