It is okay people! Yes I know the domestic and European football seasons are over, yes I know the MLS is the only real football around at the moment, but we have only 16 days left until the World Cup! It always sucks when we have no football, but there is always a few international friendlies going about too. And if that does not get you through it, just think that the Predator Instinct and Superfly IV goes on sale in just a matter of days! Okay, if that does not get you through it, perhaps a good old round of the Instep boot spottings will help! From boot switches to custom boots, get your lowdown of this week’s big boot spots.
Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid) – adidas Predator Instinct
Amongst the sea of black and white adidas Battle Pack boots that flooded the Champions League final on Saturday, adidas have rather conspicuously given a debut to the all new Predator Instinct…which adidas really has not given any details about. Either way, the Predator Instinct takes its inspiration from some of the iconic Predator boots of the past and brought them back into the modern day, not bad hey? Angel Di Maria was one of a number of players who gave the boots a debut to remember, and we will expect the boots to be all over the pitch come the World Cup.
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX
You have got to love a colourway pack when it comes to the World Cup, and we have certainly had some memorable colourways in the past (Sea of Yellow, the mach purple and orange Nike boots), this time around it is the Battle Pack from adidas. And to be honest, all of the Battle Pack boots look really, really similar from the distance, and it takes a second look to work out what each player is wearing. Then again, someone like Gareth Bale has made his name in the F50 adiZero, and he was rocking them in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.
Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid) – Nike Magista Opus
Sure, it might have been the Champions League final where adidas debuted their new Battle Pack while the players kicked about an adidas football and the adidas World Cup commercial was shown off at half time, but Nike was not going to let adidas take all the limelight right? The Nike Magista hit the pitch once again, with players from both teams representing the new boots. But rather interestingly, young gun Thibaut Courtois has opted against the top tier Magista Obra in favor of the second tier Opus, which he also wore in the UCL final. With the Opus arguably being the direct successor to the CTR360 Maestri, perhaps Courtois has some sentimental value to the Maestri which he is not willing to let go yet…
Adrien Rabiot (France) – adidas Predator LZ II (Custom)
While the Predator Instinct has been making its way around the world, we expect plenty of players who were not lucky enough to be selected for the World Cup and not be given priority for the Instinct to keep showing off the LZ II, bit like Adrien Rabiot here. I cannot see Rabiot letting his LZ IIs go either, considering that he has customised his LZ IIs in a funky Halloween-like colourway. Plus, they do not look too bad on the pitch either!
Vasili Berezutski (Russia) – Nike Mercurial Vapor X
You know, even though the idea of the Dynamic Fit collar is really, really awesome, it seems not every player is completely sold on the revolutionary idea. It seems Vasili Berezutski is going on the same trend as Courtois, with the Russian international opting for the upcoming Vapor X over the Superfly IV. The Vapor X seems to feature microfibre synthetic upper, a tongue-less construction, and an appearance very similar to that of the Vapor IX. We wonder how many players we will see going for the second tier Vapor X over the Superfly at the World Cup…
Alex (Cortiba) – Penalty Brasil 70 Ultra
Ever since Victor Valdes mysteriously showed off their boots a few years ago, Penalty is not a brand we have seen too much of lately. But being a Brazilian brand, Cortiba’s Alex is representing the national brand with the new Brasil 70 Ultra. Featuring a soft leather upper that has undergone some special treatment to make the upper that little bit more supple, the Brasil 70 Ultra is all about the classic, high performance leather boot. Gotta admit the nice old school look always goes down well in our books too!
Bruno Rodrigo (Cruzerio) – adidas Copa Mundial (Custom)
How can you make a classic, low profile boot that is worn by thousands around the world even more classy and that little bit more different? Well, there is always the blackout option right? Bruno Rodrigo has seemingly been thinking along these lines, as he has customised his Copa Mundials to go for the cool blackout look. The Copa Mundials have lost out to the Nike Premier when it comes to the no-nonsense leather boot this season, we wonder if the upcoming Copa will see them make up a little more ground…
That is it for our boot spotting today, what was your favourite spot this week? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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