adidas Messi 15.1

You didn’t think they forgot about him, did you?

What a time for adidas to drop a brand new Lionel Messi boot. After his magical two-goal, one assist dismantling of Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, after his Barcelona team captured the La Liga title, and after yet another two-goal performance (including one of the great Messi goals ever — and that’s saying something) in their victory in the Copa del Rey final last Saturday, adidas has decided now might be a decent time to release the MESSI15.

Oh yeah, and he will be going for his fourth Champions League title this Saturday when Barcelona meet Juventus in a winner-takes-the-treble Final. In that match, Leo will be sporting his new kicks. So, what has adidas crafted for their biggest star?

Since the F50 is in the rearview, adidas built a new Messi boot from scratch. The soft, leather-like upper material is called messiTOUCH. Adidas claims its excellent “grip, stability, and foot-fitting comfort” is provided by its x-ray surface. It’s unclear if they are calling Hybridtouch (the upper material on Messi’s recent boots) messiTOUCH now or if they have made actual updates to it.

Messi 15 upper

That cage running from the laces around the heel is the messiFRAME, which gives the boot its locked-in fit and stability. Where the Messi F50 had a sleek, speed-first look, the MESSI15 is more concerned with stability than lightness, even if it still retains that smooth and glossy surface on the front half.

Closeup of Messi 15.1 cage

On the outsole, the messiPRINT has round forefoot studs at the top before the stud shapes turn to a more bladed type. The stud in the middle of the forefoot has Messi’s adidas logo, so he can imprint his mark on each pitch. Pretty clever. Also, adidas have created a dynamic stud configuration throughout the soleplate called the messiGAMBETRAX, which helps ensure explosive power from the outsole.

adidas Messi 15 outsole

What does everyone think of the color? Adidas have made the first colorway Matte Metallic Ice, bringing to mind an icy version of Argentina’s sky blue. The subtle yellow accents inject some much-needed color variation. Since Barcelona is a Nike team, adidas probably have this summer’s Copa America in mind, which is why his boots have an Argentinian feel to them.

adidas Messi 15.1 logo

adidas MESSI15 promo

After adidas began their footwear revolution with X and ACE, there was no way they were leaving one of the all-time greats without his own boot. So how does the MESSI15 match up with past Messi kicks?

 

Tags: , , , , ,