Raheem Sterling's boot saga rolled into a new chapter last night as the Manchester City forward laced up in an unidentified whiteout boot for his side's 3-0 win over Marseille in the Champions League. Sterling became arguably the most high-profile free agent when he saw out his Nike contract earlier this year, and now it appears wheels are in motion for his next move.
The England man is everything a brand would desire in this modern game; he's an elite player, he's politically in tune and uses his influence to make positive change, as well as the added bonus of being relevant in lifestyle circles when it comes to off-pitch fashion. But, since his Nike contracted ended at the turn of the new year, Sterling has been an ever-present in un-branded, or minimally branded Nike boots, while he sorts out his next contract, which for a player of his calibre is taking a lot longer than expected.
The rumours have been doing the rounds in 2020, from being close to signing a record-breaking extension with the Swoosh, to signing a £100m deal with PUMA, to a landmark and much hyped deal with the Jordan Brand, but for now, Sterling continues to be free to wear what he likes. However, last night's game against Marseille saw Sterling switch out of his low-key Nike Phantom VNM boots and into something new.
Is this the first step towards a new contract with a brand? And has the two horse race between Nike and PUMA just become a threeway chase? Sterling's whiteout boots with shimmering golden soleplate appear to be an upcoming release. This exact silhouette doesn't currently sit on the market but it does have a striking resemblance to the New Balance Furon series, perhaps a new generation of the boot currently worn by Sadio Mané.
With New Balance presumably having a bit of extra cash from no longer sponsoring Liverpool it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if they targeted another Premier League player to help elevate their brand in the UK football industry, with their eggs all currently in one basket with Mané. With the figures being thrown around earlier in the year with Nike and PUMA's interest you'd expect it to be one colossal deal to lure Sterling into their brand, but Sterling isn't your everyday player, he's active in his influence and could well favour alternative perks with a brand and brand messaging rather than being seduced by the highest bidder.
For now, we're putting New Balance in pole position, but this appearance puts the ball firmly in the courts of others if any talks with New Balance are at a preliminary stage. Stay tuned...
