Has Eden Hazard provided a first look at a next-generation Nike Football project? The Chelsea man slipped into a blacked out prototype boot in training yesterday as his side prepared for this weekend's Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Hazard is one of the leading players for the Mercurial series, and although this blacked out boot doesn't feature any Swoosh branding, we can safely assume it's a new or perhaps disruptive version of Mercurial moves. What we can see upon closer inspection is that it is different to the current Vapor 360 boot, despite sharing some silhouette characteristics.
The current Mercurial series only launch in February 2018, so it's unlikely that Hazard's boots are a next generation entirely. They could well be a very early prototype of the next Mercurial edition, but we'd take a punt at them being something slightly more limited edition, and quite possibly something that'll drop sooner than a brand new series.
What we can see is that the boots appear to use a thin synthetic upper – a surface much smoother than the current Vapor 360. The collar appears to be slightly deeper too, especially on the instep of the boot, and the embossed 'M' branding from the heel of the Vapor 360 isn't present. For now though, Nike are keeping tech details close to their chest.
Stay tuned for the latest of Hazard's mystery blackout football boots...
