Not all professional players have taken easily to the Mercurial Superfly IV and some have found an answer.
Nike have shifted huge numbers of the Mercurial Superfly IV since the boots launch back in April, they’ve been an unquestionable success, but on the professional circuit it hasn’t been quite as straight forward. The professional pick-up has been relatively weak, with many top names choosing the Mercurial Vapor X. Nike will tell you that players have the choice between two elite level boots, but when it comes down to it they would have expected more players to jump into their biggest release of the year.
Superfly modifications minus the Dynamic Fit Collar are becoming more regular across world football and it’s not going unnoticed. With such a jump in technology between the Mercurial Superfly IV and Mercurial Vapor X, a number of professional players are seeking a middle ground. For most people with enough sense not to chop away at a pair of £230.00 boots, there is none. But now more and more professionals are turning to a pair of scissors for answers.
Sao Paulo’s Alexandre Pato, Hull City’s Abel Hernandez and Valencia’s Nicolas Otamendi have been the first to try their hand at some Superfly DIY. Each player has manually (and in the case of Hernandez, expertly) removed the Dynamic Fit Collar to create a Vapor-Superfly, low-cut silhouette. But why wouldn’t they be happy with the high-rising collar? It’s been widely accepted that the collar doesn’t restrict movement in any way and offers a comfortable, skin-tight fit. However such a dramatic change does take some getting used and can create difficulty when putting the boots on. Quite simply, they might have tested the patience of some hot-headed professionals with a stationary cupboard nearby.
Whether the customised boots are comfortable or not is another matter. Done right and you’ve got a Superfly IV/Vapor X hybrid. Done wrong and it surly leaves you with frayed yarns of Flyknit blowing in the wind. Either way, we wouldn’t recommend buying a pair of Superflys and going to town on them with a some scissors. Leave that to the pros.
Of course this all started with Cristiano Ronaldo; Mr Mercurial himself. The Portuguese megastar was portrayed as the inspiration behind the new design, working side by side with Nike throughout the development of the boot. However the arrival of World Cup suggested different, with Ronaldo stepping out in a professionally modified Superfly IV with a lowered Dynamic Fit Collar. Somewhat of a PR set back that Nike never addressed publicly. But why would they, with 90% of people knowing no difference between Ronnie’s boots and those available at retail? Now we know that Ronaldo isn’t the only fussy one.
So then, what are the chances of seeing a low-cut Superfly akin to Ronaldo's exclusive design? Absolutely none, but we bet the folks over at adidas are grinning at every chopped-up Superfly they see. By the looks of things, they might not be far away from playing their hand.
Let us know what you think of the Superfly modifications above. Drop us a line below.
