We’ve scoured all corners of the globe for the best new releases, throwback classics, special editions and custom creations on show. It’s Monday, it’s Boot Spotting. Let’s see who made the list this week…
Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain) adidas Predator Mutator 20.1 Low
PSG's current skipper, Presnel Kimpembe, is the latest pro to give the new Predator Mutator 20.1 Low a spin in training. This is the first low-cut Predator since 2014, and it certainly seems to be catching a lot of heat, with Kimpembe switching out of his usual X 19.1 to give them a test.
Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain) Nike prototype
Sticking with PSG, and a few pros have been spotted recently in a mystery blackout Nike boot, and the latest to be giving it a run out were Edinson Cavan and Thiago Silva. Having recently been introduced to the PhantomVSN II, and with a new Mercurial not due anytime too soon, the logical suggestion would be that this mystery boot is the next evolution of the PhantomVNM line. Watch this space.
Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) adidas Predator Mania 19.1
Since his contract with PUMA ended recently, Hector Bellerin has been dabbling with several different boots, most of which are adidas, and it was more of the same this week with the Spaniard lacing up the Predator Mania 19.1 as Arsenal enjoyed some warm weather training in Dubai during the winter break.
Megan Rapinoe (USWNT) Nike Mercurial Vapor XIII SE
Back in December, Nike honoured Megan Rapinoe and her Balon d'Or win with a pair of special edition Mercurials, and the attacker finally decided to wear them on pitch in the USWNT's Olympic qualifying semi-final and final against Mexico and Canada respectively, netting in the latter.
Christine Sinclair (Canada) Nike PhantomVNM SE
Megan Rapinoe wasn't the only person to have their achievements acknowledged by Nike recently, with Canada's Christine Sinclair given a special edition pair of PhantomVNM in honour of her becoming the highest scoring player ever in international football. The prolific striker wore them for the clash with USWNT in the final of the Olympic qualifiers, a game Canada lost 3-0.
Joe Rankin-Costello (Blackburn Rovers) adidas Predator Archive Mutator
Most attention regarding adidas has been on the Predator 20 Mutator recently – and rightly so – but prior to its release we got the monster mash-up that was the Predator Archive Mutator, which combined some of the most striking elements of Predators over the years. Blackburn's Joe Rankin-Costello was spotted in them in his side's 1-0 loss to Fulham in the Championship this week.
Aden Flint (Cardiff City) Nike T90 Laser II
Aden Flint impressed recently with his choice of OG gun metal grey adidas Predator Mania, and the Cardiff defender has been at it again, this time switching to the Swoosh and the Nike T90 Laser II from 2009 for his side's FA Cup Fourth round replay loss to Reading.
Gabriel (Benfica) adidas Adipure I
Taking inspiration from years of adidas history and heritage, the Adipure series launched in 2007, and Benfica's midfielder Gabriel dusted off a pair for his side's Taca de Portugal Semi Finals match against FC Famalicao. And he only went and netted a winner in the 95th minute to secure a 3-2 win, didn't he.
Stevan Jovetic (AS Monaco) Nike Air Zoom Tiempo Legend II
With the announcement of the soon-to-be-released Air Zoom Mercurial, it was nice to see the Air Zoom Tiempo on the feet of Monaco's Jovetic. It was among the first football boots ever to feature the Air Zoom technology, and Jovetic seems to be a big fan, having been seen playing in several different colourways.
Javier Pastore (AS Roma) Nike Mercurial Vapor II
Struggling for game time, Javier Pastore rolled the clock back to 2004 this week in an attempt to cheer himself up no doubt, training in the Nike Mercurial Vapor II. A sleek colourway that looks like it may have had something of an influence on last year's 'Dream Speed' launch.
Yen-Ping Chen (Chinese Taipei) Nike PhantomVSN
Chinese Taipei may have had an absolute drubbing at the hands of the Matildas in a recent Olympic qualifier, but Yen-Ping Chen can take some small consolation in the knowledge that she had perfectly matched her nation's kit with the Nike PhantomVSN from last year's 'Nuovo Pack'. Means nothing in the face of a 7-0 hammering, but...
Marcos Rojo (Estudiantes LP) Nike Mercurial Vapor V
Marcos Rojo has moved on to pastures new, leaving Manchester United in the hopes of forcing his way back in to the Argentine national team setup. And on his return to his homeland with Estudiantes LP, he also switched into the Nike Mercurial Vapor V "Abyss/White" colourway from 2009.
