That iconic Teamgeist look of both kits and ball, the World Cup debut of a certain Lionel Messi, David Beckham, and of course, the curtain call of one Zinedine Zidane. Adidas had quite the setup for the 2006 World Cup, hosted in their homeland of Germany, and it was epitomised by the gold Predator Absolute.
Let’s face it, few players are audacious enough to try a panenka penalty. Fewer still would try it against arguably one of the greatest goalkeeper’s of all time in Gianluigi Buffon. Even fewer than that would dare to do it in a World Cup final. And surely only one player would do it all while wearing a golden pair of adidas Predator Absolute boots. That one? Could only be Zinedine Zidane in what was his last ever appearance.
By 2006, Zizou had firmly established himself as one of the greatest players of all time. His majestic control of a game, the way he could so effortlessly glide past opponents and dominate proceedings marked him out as truly unique. And right up to and even including his performances at the World Cup in Germany, his legacy continued as he guided France all the way to the final – despite being written off as too old for anything other than retirement a few weeks ahead of the tournament.
But you only had to look at his display in the quarter final against Brazil of all teams, to see his apparent timeless quality (79 touches, 58 passes completed (85%), 19 times challenged — 18 times ball retained (95%), 11 take-ons attempted — 11 take-ons completed (100%), six recoveries, five fouls drawn, four chances created — two big chances, one assist, three interceptions). Sure, it didn’t have the fairy tale ending that would’ve been fitting of his career as a whole, but that doesn’t detract from what was one of the best players to ever play the game, entirely fitting of the golden boots he has since become synonymous with.
When speaking about the iconic adidas Predator line, two players should be front and centre in your mind above all others: David Beckham, and Zinedine Zidane. Both players were key figures for the boots through their playing careers, with Zidane going on to win the World Cup and the Ballon d’Or in the Accelerator in 1998, and later the World Player of the Year award in 2000, a feat that was celebrated by adidas with a gold edition Predator Precision. It was the first time he wore a golden Predator, but not the last.
Of course the most memorable gold boot of Zizou's was the boot that we are focusing on now, the Predator Absolute, rekindled in the collective consciousness due to the recent re-release. Technically, that drop could be considered its initial release, just arriving 16 years after its debut, given that it was never actually released in 2006. But that would obviously not be entirely accurate, overlooking the obvious upgrade that the boot has had on the underside in the intervening time.
Released just ahead of the 2006 tournament, the adidas Predator Absolute was a sleek reminder of just how good the Predator line could still be after peaking with the Mania in 2002. Sleek, striking and stylish, yet packed with all the tech you'd expect from the iconic silo, it would be the boot with which Kaka would truly announce himself to the world. But before that, Zidane had to have his last hurrah, and for that, adidas dressed out the boot in one of the best gold looks there has ever been and probably ever will be.
It saw the gold base joined by white accents that popped through the upper, most notably the newly adapted Three Stripe branding and rubber elements, the latter also reduced to three to create the flowing, signature look of the Absolute. Tech-wise, it brought with it the Power Pulse System from the Predator Pulse, while it also featured interchangeable sock liners. Quite simply, it was a boot worthy of the man and his achievements in the game.
Pick up the adidas Predator Absolute 'Gold' at prodirectsoccer.com
