Ibrahimovic And van der Wiel Headline #BeMercurial Paris
Where Nike differ from most brands is the realisation not to just design new footwear, sit back and hope the world appreciates their craft. Instead, Nike show footballers around the globe their product has arrived, they get in the face of every boot fan out there in a truly spectacular way.
We joined our friends at the Swoosh this week, as we headed to a disused underground tunnel in east Paris. The reason (of course shrouded in mystery) was to witness yet another mind-blowing Mercurial launch. What proceeded was a festival of fast cars, fast players, flashing lights, loud music and superstar guests, all of which left us in no doubt the original innovators were here to celebrate speed.
Since inception the Nike Mercurial range has provided the blue print for speed football boots, Nike are very proud of their Mercurial heritage and it seems when it comes to a new launch there is no budget. The launch events are becoming almost as iconic as the footwear, so we knew when arriving at the dark and dingy Paris underground tunnel, it was a premeditated venue choice to juxtapose the events that would happen inside. 
With our cameras at the ready, we joined the gathering media and entered the tunnel. The pictures we share with you here were all taken in the space of a couple of hours. A Nike launch event is action-packed and highly charged, from start to finish the tempo will remain fast, and we hope to fully do it justice with our behind-the-scenes coverage.
Entering the arena, the dÉcor was a celebration of the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX football boots, which of course meant bright Sunset and Fireberry colours. Strangely though, attention was drawn to a blank non-descript structure on the stage, a focul point which was to play a key role in the events that followed. Taking our sits, we were greeted by our presenter before the lights dimmed and the music grew louder. 
What followed was a stunning presentation of projection mapping. The object morphed between being a football boot and a fast car, in front of an array of different backgrounds, thanks to a series of images and lights projected onto the surface. Then as the smoke cleared, figures emerged from the shadows to pull apart the structure and reveal the Vapor IX's iconic artwork and imagery brought to life on a real engine.
To explain the symbolism and connotation between the Nike football boot and the engine from a sports car, was Nike Football's Footwear Product Director Shawn Hoy. Shawn gave us the full tech rundown on the new Mercurial Vapor, alongside previous Mercurial incarnations which helped the Vapor arrive at the product we see today.
Nike still had their ace cards to play, and next on stage were the special Mercurial guests (which didn't include Cristiano Ronaldo!). Nike's guests were Paris Saint-Germain stars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gregory van der Wiel; Ibrahimovic of course being the scorer of the most exceptional Mercurial goal we've seen in recent times.
Playing in two very different positions, and as two different sized players, Ibrahimovic and van der Wiel represent the proof of the different performance criteria the Vapor IX meets. Both are also known for their style, and so fronted up well as the young master (Sunset) and old master (Fireberry).
Both players were quizzed on their new footwear, and spoke of the importance of 'explosive speed'. Ibrahimovic elaborated to say: the better the shoe gets, the easier it gets for the players. Before being asked about THAT goal. Zlatan acknowledged it was an amazing goal, and how after pressing Joe Hart and with the keeper off the line his instinct was to shoot for goal, but such was Zlatan's positioning he had no other choice but to attempt the acrobatic shot.
Breaking away from the stage, we were able to film exclusive interviews with Gregory van der Wiel and Shawn Hoy. Providing insights, from van der Wiel on the footwear and lifestyle, and from Hoy intriguing insights into the development, inspirations and processes of the Vapor IX.
Of course Ibrahimovic, van der Wiel and Hoy weren't the only special guests in attendance. Twenty finalists, chosen from Nike Football events across Europe, gathered to go head-to-head in a bid to test their speed skills and earn the crown for fastest on the pitch. Finalists were split into two teams, Fireberry and Sunset , and their respective team captains Ibrahimovic and van der Wiel offered insights and tips on how to improve their speed game.
Franscisco Fargallo from Madrid and Daniel Majdancevic from Munich were crowned the #BeMercurial winners and as a prize will watch Ibrahimovic and van der Wiel play at Parc des Princes next month as part of their reward. Whilst a shout-out goes to UK winners Conrad Davies and Shameek Farrell, who after impressing in front of the SoccerBible cameras at the UK final, were unlucky not to reproduce their best form in Paris. 
With the dust beginning to settle at the Paris Mercurial event, there was time for one last stunt from Nike, Ibrahimovic and van der Wiel. As the #BeMercurial winning players were invited to travel as passengers and leave the event in Lamborghini's decorated to reflect the new Vapor colours, not an everyday experience being driven by an international football star in a supercar!
For Nike and the gathered global media, the wheel spin and tyre smoke from the Lamborghini's closed proceedings on another spectacular Mercurial launch. We mentioned at the top of this piece Nike's intention to celebrate speed and their Mercurial range, and as the two have become symbiotic you understand the need for such expense and lavish eccentricity at these events, it's what makes the Mercurial Vapor so talked about and popular.
Stay tuned to SoccerBible as we'll be bringing you further exclusive content from the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX event in Paris, and as always share with us your thoughts and opinions online, on Facebook and Twitter.
