When a limited edition football boot sells out in minutes, the chances of seeing it on pitch, let alone at the very top level, is pretty slim. But when that limited edition boot is the adidas Predator Mania in Champagne, the older generation of footballers can’t resist.
Originally launched in 2002 the adidas Predator Mania was only worn by a small selection of players still playing the game today, but two of those players just so happen to be at Bayern Munich and the re-release has pulled on the heart strings. Phillip Lahm may be retiring at the end of the season but he’ll be doing so in a boot that pays tribute to the ones he made his Bayern Munich debut in – almost 15 years ago.
Joined by Xabi Alonso (that's him in the background...) as Bayern Munich trained ahead of their Bundesliga match against Darmstadt at the weekend, Lahm slipped into the nostalgic colourway complete with fold-over elasticated leather tongue and rubber padded shooting technology. It remains to be seen whether the Bayern duo stay in them for the game but whatever happens its a touch of throwback magic to see two legendary players reunited with a silo of such magnitude. It’s also refreshing to see a limited edition doing what it was built to do, play football.
Famously worn by David Beckham in the 2002 World Cup, the adidas Predator Mania Champagne has been released to mark the 15th anniversary since the original and we wouldn’t bet against more adidas player, young and old, to pull a few strings with the Three Stripes to bag a pair. Keep an eye out this weekend. Pull that tongue down a bit further though Phil, yeah?
19 year-old Philipp Lahm making his Bayern debut in November 2002 wearing the adidas Predator Mania.
View the full adidas Champagne Collection here.
