Kylian Mbappé became PSG’s all-time leading scorer after netting his 201st goal for the club in their 4-2 win against Nantes on Saturday, and Nike have been quick to honour the 24-year old’s achievement, presenting him with a a special pair of Air Zoom Mercurial Superfly IX boots inspired by the Mercurial Vapor XI that he wore when he scored his first goal for PSG against FC Metz in September 2017.
Becoming your club’s all-time top scorer is some achievement, but doing it in six years, by the time you’re 24 is something else. Well that’s what Kylian Mbappé has done, netting his 201st goal for PSG, edging clear of previous holder, Edison Cavani. It’s quite a milestone in a career that already features a World Cup win, and Nike, for whom Mbappé is the leading light, were quick to show their admiration for the player, presenting him with a customised version of the Air Zoom Mercurial Superfly IX boots dressed up to look like the Mercurial Vapor XI that he wore to score his first goal for the club, back in 2017.
The Nike Mercurial Vapor XI boots in question were originally released as part of the "Lock in let Loose" pack from 2017, and Mbappé notched in them on his PSG debut, a game against FC Metz on 8 September, 2017 that ended 5-1 to the Parisians.
The boot that Nike have gifted to Mbappé was initially only glimpsed in an image on the Frenchman’s Instagram stories, but there’s been a better look since, making it very likely that he will switch into them for the crucial Champions League game against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. He has been wearing the Air Zoom Mercurial Superfly IX DreamSpeed 006 since it launched early last month.
Mbappé's new boots look to perfectly recreate the original's aesthetics, with a matching "Laser Orange/Black/White/Volt" colourway, although there are additions that nod to the record holder's achievements, namely the "201" that rides on the Swoosh down the lateral side of the boot along with the "KM" tag. A Hechter stripe signs off on the heel, stamped with the dates of his debut and the game against Nantes from this weekend. A final addition to the boots is a dynamic fit collar, effectively making what was a Vapor a Superfly, and lending more weight to the suggestion that Mbappé will wear these in a game.
Kylian Mbappé usually wears the Nike Air Zoom Mercurial Superfly IX Dream Speed 006, which you can pick up at prodirectsport.com/soccer
