adidas belt up and take the wheel of the football innovation machine to accelerate into 2016 at rapid pace with the ACE 16+ Purecontrol - because, who needs laces?
2015 marked a year of change for adidas Football - a revolution in fact. Four silos became two and a lot of steam was coming out of the adidas kitchen as 2016 plans were being cooked up. After revealing that their players would quite literally be slipping into a laceless football boot the brand have now lifted the lid to the debut design that replaces the blackout prototype supplied to Mesut Özil, Ivan Rakitic and Oscar.
What we're looking at here is next level scheisse from the German brand - this is the ACE 16+ Purecontrol. Using an engineered Primeknit upper along with a new Primecut ankle fit, the Purecontrol is built to adapt to the natural shape of the foot, but the key feature is clearly the laceless concept. Expelling the laces creates a cleaner touch when striking and controlling the ball, the TPU cage and internal knitted support act like a second skin, locking in the foot in the same way laces would, but without the distraction.
Soleplate wise we're looking at a Ground/CTRL 2.0 set-up for the ACE 16+ Purecontrol - a lightweight Sprintframe which reduces the overall weight of the boot. Finishing loops on the heel and front aid pulling the boot on and off and three solid black stripes complete the bold, yet fascinating aesthetics of the next chapter of adidas Football.
“I’ve tried them out already and I can say they’re the best boots I’ve ever worn. Because there are no laces the surface area is a lot larger, meaning controlling the ball is easier. The boots are certainly eye catching” said Barca's Ivan Rakitic. Granted he's not allowed to slate them but strong words that make sense considering the concept. Rakitic and the other previously mentioned players will switch into the ACE 16+ Purecontrol from January 23rd.
Want a pair? Get them here.
