Nike launched the third instalment of the Mercurial Dream Speed earlier this week, and while it was marketed as once again being fronted by the trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Sam Kerr, two other players have already been spotted in them, raising the question of whether the exclusive club is set to welcome in a new generation.

If someone said that the next big names of the Mercurial Dream Speed franchise were set to be Fatty and Vinny, you’d rightly raise your eyebrows. Thankfully though, we’re talking about Ansu Fati and Vinicius Jr.; two of the biggest up and coming talents in the game today, representing no less than Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. And it’s these two that have been spotted training in the new Mercurial Vapor Dream Speed 3 – Fati on international duty with the Spain squad, and Vinicius with his club.

Upon its reveal on Saturday, the Mercurial Dream Speed 3 was once again marketed as being for Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Sam Kerr, in what has been an exclusive club for the past two iterations. But the sight of Fati and Vini in the Dream Speed suggests that there could well be room for two more amongst the ranks.

While Ronaldo – already spotted giving the new boot a trial – Mbappe and Kerr all wear the Superfly model, Fati and Vini both wear the Vapor, so could this be a deliberate move from Nike to increase the visibility of the low-cut silhouette? Possibly. Their profile is such that they would not be wearing the boots simply because they like them, as you’d expect to see from lower-level players. No, they’ve been supplied with these boots quite specifically by Nike. The fact that they are both young internationals, playing important roles for their respective clubs who just so happen to be two of the biggest in Europe, is not lost. If the pair of them continue on their current trajectories, Vini at 20 and Fati at just 17 are set to be on our radars for the foreseeable. The Swoosh leaning into that next generation early. Don’t forget, Mbappe’s almost 22 already. So old.

Shop the Nike Mercurial Dream Speed 3 at prodirectsoccer.com