All eyes on the International scene this week, as the world cup qualifiers were joined by the Euro 21 championship. That plus some domestic action and that’s all we needed to comfortably fill out this week’s Boot Spotting.
Chem Campbell (Wolves U23) adidas COPA Sense+
Despite all of the international action this week, our first spot comes from the Premier League 2 fixture between Middlesbrough and Wolves, with Chem Campbell representing the latter in a pair of Adidas COPA Sense+ 'Inner Life'. The design of the boots literally saw them created from the inside out, visually bringing to life the boot’s key design innovations.
Marco Asensio (Real Madrid) adidas Predator Accelerator
This week saw adidas launch the limited edition Predator Accelerator 'Hyperlative', which saw the iconic '98 silhouette dressed out in the 'Superlative' colourway that the Predator Freak launched in. Marco Asensio was one of only a few athletes to be spotted in them, as he wore laced them up for Real Madrid training. If you fancied yourself in a pair of these then you're out of luck – they sold out in a couple of hours.
Luca Modric (Croatia) Nike Mercurial Vapor 14
Liuca Modric became Croatia's most capped player ever at 135 Caps during this round of international fixtures, and to honour the milestone, Nike provided him with a special pair of Mercurial Vapor 14. The boots featured a chequered design that ran across the upper and over the soleplate, inspired by the Croatia national team kit.
Leonardo Bonucci (Italy) Nike Phantom GT
Modric wasn't the only player celebrating a milestone during this week's international fixtures, with Italy's Leonardo Bonucci celebrating his 100th cap. Nike once again rolled out the special treatment in honour of the achievement, presenting the Juve defender with a customised pair of Phantom GT that featured 'LB19 100' print and the flag of Italy on the heel, and the dates of Bonucci's first and 100th Italy game – 03/03/2010 and 25/03/2021 – on the sides.
Rose Lavelle (Manchester City Women) New Balance Tekela v3
Rose Lavelle was given a new signature edition Tekela v3 by New Balance recently, which she duly slipped into for City's 1-0 win over Reading. The whiteout boots were the first glimpse we got of the 'Sweet Chaos' pack upon their release, although they were then embellished by Lavelle's signature style, including a logo on the heel.
Stefano Sensi (Italy) Next-Gen adidas X
Feels like the X Ghosted only arrived recently, but now Inter midfielder Stefano Sensi has given us an early glimpse at the next generation of the X. As always, it's a black out prototype, so hard to tell too much at this early stage, but it certainly looks like the upper has had some work. Expect to see more of this in the coming weeks and months.
Alessandro Florenzi (Italy) Next-Gen Nike Tiempo
Sticking with the Italy camp, and another next generation boot was on display, with Alessandro Florenzi this time showing off the next generation Nike Tiempo Legend 9. This one has been seen out and about already, on the feet of players such as Davinson Sanchez, Antonio Rudiger, Clement Lenglet, and Thibaut Courtois, and they're likely set for a drop this side of the summer.
Alexandre Jankewitz (Switzerland U21) adidas +F50.6 Tunit
England's U21 European Championship hasn't quite gone according to plan, and it started with a defeat to Switzerland. In that match, Southampton midfielder Alex Jankewitz caught the eye in a pair of adidas +F50.6 Tunit from 2006. Not the greatest boots from a performance perspective, but they still look great. Didn't seem to hold Jankewitz back either.
Justin Kluivert (Holland U21) adidas X 99.1
Back in 2019 adidas released the adidas X 99.1, a super lightweight construction inspired by the first ever F50 in 2004. Justin Kluivert played and scored in them in the Netherlands' 1-1 draw with Germany.
Ronan Curtis (Republic of Ireland) Nike Mercurial Superfly V
Bit of class in the Ireland camp, with Portsmouth midfielder Ronan Curtis training in the Nike Mercurial Superfly V CR7 "Quinto Triunfo", which were originally released in 2017 to celebrate Ronaldo's fifth Balon d'Or win.
James McClean (Republic of Ireland) Nike Mercurial Superfly 8
James McClean is a clear fan of the Mercurial line, and if a special edition drops, you can pretty much guarantee the Stoke man will lace them up. But this week he took a slightly different tack, playing in his own customised pair of Superfly 8s, personalised with Nike By You.
Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle) PUMA Ultra SL
Not everyone is away having fun on international duty, and Allan Saint-Maximin is one such player. The Frenchman showed up for training this week in the PUMA Ultra SL, which dropped recently as the lightest football boot ever, weighing in at a mere 90g.