Nike release the Mercurial Vapor IX CR Galaxy on Monday, adidas hit back in true adidas style the very next day. Boot colourway packs is something that Nike have mastered on several occasions, but adidas have gone for a rare attempt at a colourway pack. A week of teaser videos have led us to this, the launch of the brand new adidas ‘Englightened Pack’, a boot that certainly takes ‘flashy’ to the next level.

Nike Reflective Pack of Soccer Cleats

Speculation has been rife ever since adidas released the first teaser video of the ‘Enlightened Pack’ last week. With the vague tagline ‘the enlightened’, no one really knew what to expect when adidas unveiled the boot today. Actually, scratch that, Robert Soldado kind of ruined the surprise by prematurely wearing the boots for Spurs against Aston Villa, but we are still excited to officially unveil ‘The Enlightened Pack’, and the Instep has all your photos of the range.

Enlightened pack group 2 edited

When you play football, it is all about being seen on the pitch. It is about being the player who catches everybody’s eye on the pitch, stealing the attention and being remembered after the final whistle has been blown (as I referee, I am sometimes remembered for the wrong reasons…). Nike may have taken that literally with some of their bright football boots, but adidas have taken a much more toned down approach with their new collection of boots. If blackout boots are a little bit too boring for you, the ‘Enlightened Pack’ of boots is perfect for those who still want boots that are that little bit more pop than normal blackout boots.

What is ‘The Enlightened Pack’ all about? It is not just about a cool, classy pair of black and white football boots, the laces and the three stripes on the boots have been coated in a ‘reflective exposure material’ that stand out under the floodlights of a stadium or the flash of a camera. The result? A sharp clash of white laces and stripes against the black upper of the boot that looks pretty damn awesome.

Enlightened pack group edited

Adidas have gone down a road rarely travelled in the football boot world with the addition of the reflective material on boots, but adidas first used reflective technology on their sports footwear in 2012 when launching the adidas adiZero Smoke “Spotlight” colourway in American Football. Adidas are not the first to use it in football though, with the award going to Lotto and their Solista that turns into an intense white under lights.

‘The Enlightened Pack’ of colourways will make an appearance on all four of adidas’ boot silos. The launch of the ‘Enlightened Pack’ is the first time we will see a Nitrocharge 1.0 launched without a yellow Energysling running across the forefoot, giving the boots a classy, low profile look about them. Meanwhile, the Predator range has certainly seen it’s fair share of black football boots, but the clash of black and silver gives a suave look to the Predator.

Nitrocharge enlightened edited

Predator enlightened edited

Bright football boot colours always find a home on speed boots, but the F50 adiZero looks just as good in a sharp black and silver colourway as they do with some of the brighter releases we have seen. The ‘Enlightened Pack’ adiPure 11Pro is just doing what a normal adiPure 11Pro does: and that is about being the classic boot that always says ‘elegance’. With players like Frank Lampard and Philip Lahm wearing the boot, it is for the player who wants a comfortable and reliable boot that does not need all the bells and whistles to come with it.

F50 enlightened edited

adiPure enlightened edited

Europe’s top players will debut the reflective technology in a one off appearance during the forthcoming UEFA Champions League matches set to take place tonight and tomorrow, and the reflective material can now be used by fans on miadidas to create their own ‘enlightened’ creations. With Mesut Ozil and Gary Cahill wearing their ‘Enlightened Pack’ boots ahead of their clubs respective fixtures, we will be keeping an eye out on who brings the boots out tonight and tomorrow night.

Enlightened pack players

What do you think about ‘The Enlightened Pack’? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

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