The race for Paulo Dybala's signature has taken a fresh turn this week as the Argentine switched into a blacked out edition of the adidas X 17, indicating a deal with adidas isn't too far away for the Juventus forward.
Paulo Dybala is the most in demand player on the market when it comes to brand sponsorship. Having turned heads with numerous star performances in both domestic and european competitions wearing a blacked out Nike Mercurial Superfly V, brands were on high alert. Not many players of Dybala's calibre play the Champions League in unbranded boots, but the fact he remained uncontracted for those games installed him as the most eligible boot bachelor in the game. And right now, the power is in his hands as brands try to the lure the 23-year-old into their boots for the new season.
Not only is Dybala one of the breakthrough players of the 2016/17 season thanks to a string of match winning displays in the Champions League last season, he's also everything else a brand could want of a player. Stylish look, expressive play and even comes complete with his own logo; he's a marketable dream. It was February this year when Dybala blacked out his Mercurial boots to signal the end of his contract with Nike and the timing of that couldn't have worked any better in his favour. The Juventus man tore apart Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final and in turn, had the whole world's media on him, and that's the sort of stuff that turns brands on.
It appears that adidas have put themselves in the driving seat to secure the signature of Dybala after he linked up with the Argentina squad this week wearing a blacked out pair of adidas X 17 boots. With adidas looking to bolster their ranks with talent ahead of a World Cup year, it may be tempting to push Dybala towards the new Nemeziz silo, and he may well do as he begins to trial what adidas have to offer. Any other potential suitors need to act fast, adidas have approached Dybala at the bar and have already ordered him a drink.
Photography by Amber Teo
