With the T90 staging a comeback and Nike digging deep into the vault to resurrect the original Mercurial Vapor, all signs point to the Hypervenom being next in line. But what exactly made that first-gen Hypervenom Phantom so iconic?
When Nike announced that they were killing off the T90 in 2013 in favour of a new boot series, players weren’t happy. The T90 was – and still is – one of the most loved football boots ever, so for there to even be a discussion about its successor being a possible all-time Nike classic shows just how perfectly the Swoosh delivered the Hypervenom.
Being responsible for ending the shelf life of the T90 series isn’t the best first impression to make, and as a result the Hypervenom was playing catch up from day zero. But Nike cooked up the perfect storm for their new generation boot to arrive in, building hype that was matched only by the roster that the Swoosh lined up to wear them.
For years the leading brands broke their silos down into four categories: Power, Control, Speed and Comfort. For attackers, they’d usually opt for speed or power, but in 2013 Nike realised that the game had evolved; it had become more intricate and dynamic with attackers placing a stronger emphasis on sharper movements in tighter spaces, and that’s where the Hypervenom created a new category that delivered lightweight design, enhanced touch and an agility focused soleplate.
The upper of the Hypervenom was – and arguably still is – the most supple and flexible upper to adorn any football boot. It was super soft and moulded around the foot while offering a super close feel on the ball. Nike did have a few issues with tears, but the feel of the boot built a huge following amongst players.
That trademark launch colourway, with the orange taken from Nike’s shoeboxes, was a strong statement. The Swoosh on the Hypervenom was taken from the Mercurial and flip-reversed to the instep to give the silo a familiar yet twisted aesthetic that players immediately related to, while remaining fresh.
But beyond the tech and the aesthetics, the Hypervenom’s iconic status was undoubtedly enhanced by Neymar. For years Cristiano Ronaldo had dominated Nike’s football output, but now a new dynamic boot existed for a completely different type of player, and Neymar defined that player perfectly. He launched the boot at a headline event in Rio de Janeiro and the launch of the silo coincided with his move to Barcelona and his poster boy status ahead of Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup.
The move to Barcelona was the conclusion of months of speculation surrounding this new Brazilian wonder-kid. With the whole world watching his unveiling at the Nou Camp and his debut, Neymar stepped out in the Hypervenom just a few weeks after Nike launched it. The epitome of perfect timing and a marketing masterstroke.
Neymar was handed a starring role in Nike’s big video productions ahead of the World Cup, wearing the Hypervenom in both the ‘Winner Stays’ and ‘Last Game’ films, as well as his own ad titled ‘Mirrors’.
Nike took Neymar’s golden boy reputation and turned it into a literal and physical product by presenting him with an all-gold colourway to wear in Brazil’s knockout stage games. Of course, he was injured against Colombia in the quarter final and missed the rest of the competition where they were infamously dumped out by Germany 7-1.
It wasn’t just Neymar who wore the Hypervenom upon launch though. Boots worn by attackers are always the most memorable and Nike ushered the likes of Higuain, Ibrahimovic and Rooney into the boot ahead of the 2014 World Cup, while Nike iD saw the likes of Lewandowski, Isco and Welbeck rewarded with their own unique colourways in late 2013. The Hypervenom, along with the Superfly, was Nike’s star attraction at the biggest international tournament in world football, and the fact it dropped ahead of a World Cup year was pivotal. Not just any World Cup year, a tournament in Brazil, the most exotic of all World Cup host nations.
The legendary status of the first-generation Hypervenom was only magnified by what came after. The second generation flopped, and the third strayed so far from the original design that it lost the essence of what made the Hypervenom special. These missteps only deepened the nostalgia, leaving players longing for the unmistakable feel of that NikeSkin upper.
Did Nike make the first-gen too good? Maybe. It peaked early—and evolved too fast.
One thing’s certain: the original Hypervenom shook up the market and helped cement Neymar’s rise as a Nike icon, right when the moment called for it. In its short life, the first-generation Hypervenom built a cult following—one that would snap it up in a heartbeat if Nike ever brought it back…
Keep it locked for more official news of a potential Hypervenom return...
