Few things go together as well as David Beckham and the Predator, whether it was the Touch, Accelerator, Mania or Precision. But it wasn’t until 2007 that Beckham was given a platform on which he was truly able to express his own individuality: the Predator Powerswerve.
By the time the Powerswerve was released in 2007, the Predator had enjoyed eight previous incarnations, each one improving on the last, refining the concept and advancing it with the game. David Beckham’s career was intrinsically linked to the evolution of the Predator, but while the former England captain enjoyed some of his most memorable moments in the likes of the Accelerator and Precision, it was in the Powerswerve that he enjoyed a canvas that enabled him to express his personality to its fullest.
The Powerswerve was developed with assistance from Zinedine Zidane, and the design saw the introduction of 'Smartfoam' in place of the rubber strips, to give longer-lasting contact with the ball, increasing the quality of the strike. With Zidane’s playing days behind him, Beckham was finally in place to be the undisputed primary Predator player, and that was marked out by his signature free-kick silhouette, which once again adorned the elongated, elasticated tongue of the Powerswerve, like the Absolute before it. Unmistakably Beckham, unmistakably Predator.
By this point in his career, Beckham was busy boosting the profile of the game Stateside at LA Galaxy, and at the forefront of his crusade to make football and MLS more relevant were some signature colourways that perfectly matched his new team’s kits. Whether it was the predominantly white upper with gold detailing or switching that up to the dark navy blue colourway with gold accents, none of the adidas Predator Powerswerve DBs disappointed.
A reasonably well known fact was that Beckham was fundamentally against the use of animal skin on football boots, and that's why his exclusive colourways, unlike the standard versions, which featured K-leather in the forefoot, were made entirely from Microfibre.
In total, the Predator Powerswerve was released in a staggering 20 different colourways. Notable among these were the special golden pair, bestowed upon him in 2008 by adidas to celebrate his 100th England cap, and the silver and gold colourway, which was specially designed by Beckham himself and used several times during his spell with LA Galaxy in 2009. Two striking looks that were typical of the man and his career.
It was then during his loan spell at AC Milan in 2009 that adidas’ Climacool technology made its way into his signature Predator, initially seen in the white and blue colourway that featured that recognisable perforated upper and larger strike zone of Predator elements. The Climacool joined the Smartfoam and Dynamic PowerPulse-technology, offering up a combination of comfort, control and power that many believe was indicative of the last true Predator, taking nothing away from what the Predator X, Adipower or Lethal Zones had to offer that is.
All in all, Beckham and the Powerswerve were a tailor made for one another. Despite the fact that it wasn’t the final iteration that Beckham wore, nor perhaps the most iconic, it was undoubtedly one of the best looking, in all of its varying paint jobs.
A lasting legacy and one that is Beckham through and through, right down to the name itself.
