The Championship Is Won. Now Change Your Boots Robin.
Robin Van Persie has enjoyed a spectacular debut season with Manchester United. The Dutchman has made a monumental impact during his brief spell at Old Trafford and last night scored a first half hat-trick that saw Manchester United claim title number twenty.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United fans will have enjoyed every minute of Van Persie's sensational season. But for adidas, Van Persie's reluctance to update his footwear has meant it's been a frustrating campaign for the three stripes. Now that the championship is sealed, is it finally time for RVP to upgrade his adiPower boots?
Sports companies pay big money to their star players. Mega-money contracts are all part of the game and you can bet Robin Van Persie is receiving a handsome chunk of cash from adidas each year. So where's the benefit to adidas if he continues to wear a boot that is nearly two years old?
Every major sports brand has difficulty with players on their roster, but not all players are on the same level as Van Persie. The United hit-man should be adidas' Cristiano Ronaldo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He is that good, if not better. Instead, Van Persie is a wasted asset who has scored 24 Premier League goals this season - on top of his 37 goals for Arsenal last season - wearing a boot that holds no market value to adidas.
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We can't accuse Van Persie of not experimenting. The United striker has enjoyed short spells in the Predator Lethal Zones and the f50 adizero. But the outcome has always been the same. No other adidas boot is able to break his relationship with his beloved Slime/Indigo/Blue adiPower Predators.
We're sure Van Persie has his reasons. His superstitions are well known when it comes to his footwear, and we expect there are performance benefits he feels the adiPower gives him. Every footballer is within his rights to choose the tools of his trade, but don't sign a boot contract if you want complete freedom.
Adidas have been kind to their star striker. As part of Van Persie's endorsement contract, adidas could force the Dutchman to update his footwear to a current boot model. Now that the Championship race is over, will Van Persie's finally hang up his adiPower football boots? This summer would certainly present him with some fresh alternatives.
There's a new adidas Predator on the horizon, not to mention an all new silo from the three stripes. He could easily step into either and become the lead face for the range. So far we haven't seen Van Persie testing either boot in training but pre-season will provide the striker with the perfect platform to trial any new models. We'll be stunned if Van Persie kicks-off United's 2013/14 title defence wearing the same boots he scored his "goal of the century" in.
Let us know what boots you'd like to see Van Persie wearing next season. Join the conversation online, on Twitter on Facebook.
