After the shock announcement that Denis Dekovic will jump ship from Nike to adidas, we take a retrospective look back at his catalogue of football boot designs.
There’s no doubt about it, adidas have landed one of the most forward-thinking football boot designers in the game right now, with breakthrough boots such as the Nike GS and Magista to his name. So what exactly are adidas getting for their money?
Lotto Zhero Gravity Ultra (2011) - When it comes to boot innovation Denis Dekovic isn't afraid to explore new avenues of design. One of the ballsy-est designers in the game started as he meant to go one when he worked with Lotto on the Zhero Gravity - the world's first laceless football boot. That's how you get noticed by Nike.
Nike GS (2012) - Dekovic's first assault on Nike's boot innovation came in 2012 with the launch of the Green Speed, Nike's lightest ever football boot at just 160g. Made of recycled and renewable engineering the GS was a revolution in boot design and another indication of Dekovic's forward thinking. The GS was launched for the 2012 London Olympics and was one of the most sought after boots of the year.
Nike Mercurial Vapor IX (2013) - Dekovic's first influence on the Nike Mercurial line-up came with the launch of the Mercurial Vapor IX in January 2013, which arrived with a completely new upper. Speed Control texture was introduced to wrap around the foot, giving the boot friction to enhance ball feel and a unique glass-fiber lightweight plate that increased flexibility and responsiveness for explosive speed.
Nike CR Mercurial Vapor IX (2013) - Dekovic's first mark on the signature CR Mercurial Vapor used a Neon Yellow and Orange Safari print inspired by the print that was first seen on a Cristiano Ronaldo Mercurial in 2010. Horizontal black and neon yellow lines linked the shoe to the collection’s overarching inspiration of speed. and The “love to win, hate to lose” logo on the heel was a nod to Ronaldo’s inspiration as he explodes past his opponents towards goal.
Nike FC247 Collection (2013) - After making his mark on the field Dekovic turned his hand to the court to shake up Nike's futsal line-up. The 'Fives' range was replaced by the FC247 collection packed with design specifications for respective playing surfaces and styles. The range introduced a new material known as NIKESKIN on the Elastico Finale II, a breakthrough technology that formed to the foot for a closer fit and would go on to become the integral feature of the HyperVenom.
Nike HyperVenom Phantom (2013) - The Hypervenom arrived in July 2013 with an upper created using the new NIKESKIN system. Dekovic lead the Nike design team in delivering the breakthrough product of the year, explaining; "The HyperVenom upper delivers an amazing level of comfort and feel. The athletes asked us to deliver a boot that gets as close as possible to the feeling of playing barefoot,” Dekovic said. “Mesh takes us a step closer to doing that and the All Conditions Control finish keeps the mesh dry.” Designed for a "new breed of attack", Dekovic and his team worked closely with Neymar who desired a boot to enhance his agility.
Nike CR Mercurial Vapor IX Galaxy (2013) - Dekovic's next CR7 signature Mercurial design can be explained best by himself,"We were watching a game, and after Cristiano scored yet another amazing free-kick the commentator posed the question 'Is Ronaldo from this planet?! When we got back to the design studio we got thinking about CR7’s style and how similar it was to the definition of a supernova - a celestial body that radiates energy - and that was it, we had our inspiration." Done.
Nike Tiempo Legend V (2013) - Dekovic was tasked with updating the boot that started it all for Nike, the Tiempo. The Tiempo Legend V was built on the same anatomical last as the revolutionary HyperVenom to bring the foot closer to the ball whilst ACC and K-leather combined to provide optimal touch in all conditions. The fifth generation Tiempo demonstrated Dekovic's versatility, creating one of the finest Tiempo Legend boots in Nike's back catalogue.
Nike CR Mercurial Vapor IX Ballon d'Or (2014) - Dekovic got involved in the limited edition game when he was tasked with designing a celebratory Mercurial Vapor IX for Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who he formed a close relationship with as he seeked inspiration for new innovations. Dekovic created a special edition gold plated Mercurial inspired by the Ballon d'Or winner's trophy explaining “Cristiano Ronaldo is such an exceptional player, and we wanted to celebrate all his accomplishments this season with a unique boot to honor his amazing success."
Nike Magista (2014) - The one boot above all that Dekovic will be remembered for; the Nike Magista Obra. The boot worn by Mario Gotze to score the winning goal in the World Cup final pushed the boundaries of football footwear design with incredible innovations. For the first time ever Flyknit technology was used on a football boot along with the breakthrough Dynamic Fit Collar.
Nike Mercurial Superfly IV (2014) - Developed alongside the Magista, the return of the Mercurial Superfly was a four year design process lead by Dekovic. Flyknit technology sat on top of a carbon fibre sole-plate to deliver a new generation of Nike speed. Dekovic worked closely with Cristiano Ronaldo and other Nike athletes to develop another game-changing product that re-wrote the book of football boot design.
Have adidas got one up on their big rivals with this move? Let us know what you think below.
