In the 20 years that the Nike Mercurial has been in the game the series has built a legacy, overseen legendary moments, and shaped the influence of speed in football. The Mercurial is one of, if not the, most successful football boots of this millennium. So, when Nike state that they've built the best Mercurial to date, you pay attention.
The launch of the Mercurial Superfly 360 arrives as the most anticipated date on the Swoosh calendar this side of the 2018 World Cup. Designed for Nike's most exciting, most unpredictable, and fastest players, you can bank on them being worn in every key fixture between now and when a World Cup is lifted in July. It's big time. With hype comes expectation. Without any further introduction gibberish, he's our verdict on the Nike Mercurial Superfly 360.
The football boot market is ultra-competitive right now. With a World Cup around the corner, outrageous technologies freely available to brands, and a super short lifespan of releases, you've gotta do something pretty damn spectacular to stand out. The Mercurial Superfly 360 has a presence. Not just because of a multi-million pound marketing campaign pushing it hard, or a wealth of talent wearing it on pitch. Nah, save all that. It's bright ******* orange, and unapologetically bold.
Seriously, it's considerably brighter than your future. But, it's far more than just a hard-hitting colour. Trust us when we say the following; buy the Nike Mercurial Superfly 360 at least a week before you wear it. You'll want that long to admire it before staining it in mud. It's nothing short of stunning fresh out of the box.
Out of the Box
The Mercurial Superfly 360 genuinely has that 'wow factor' when you first take it out of the box. To hold, to feel, to inspect; this is piece of art that needs appreciating. Yeah, that sounds even more ridiculous when typed out. But seriously, every minor detail of the boot is pure precision – from the embossed 'Mercurial' branding to the ribbed Flyknit on the upper.
Football boots are expensive these days, we're making no secret of that, but the Superfly 360 feels expensive, and goes a long way to justify that inflated price tag. It feels as if you've bought the best speed boot on the market.
When you pick up the Nike Mercurial Superfly 360 it seems impossible to believe that one day these boots will be twenty, thirty, even fifty years old. Packing futuristic fast vibes all over, the silhouette features sportscar-esque curves and feels streamlined AF. Are we immediate fans of the smaller swoosh across the toes? Possibly not, but the graphic Swoosh on the instep looks at home as it replaces the 'NIKE' print from the Superfly V.
What that smaller Swoosh does allow is the introduction of the 'M' branding on the heel and that's a seriously strong focal point of the design. A much less intimidating collar, glistening laces, and spectacular soleplate all combine for an overall magnificent first impression. We'll be coming back to that soleplate.
Sizing
Nike have avoided the temptation to join the laceless movement and the fit of the Mercurial Superfly 360 is benefitted from that. We've found that laceless boots can sometimes overcompensate for the lack of laces and push hard against the foot, particularly the toes to prevent the boot becoming loose.
We'll speak more about the feel of the boots later, but to clear things up in regards to sizing. We went true to size with no issues. Bang on. We wouldn't say they're overly narrow either, the upper is supple enough to accommodate a wider foot.
On Feet
Firstly, it's worth stating that the Mercurial Superfly 360 is much easier to put on than the previous generation boot. The reshaped Dynamic Fit Collar features a smaller cuff that's far less intruding that the Superfly V and makes slipping the boot on pretty seamless.
Once again the Mercurial Superfly aims to nail that locked-in feeling. We thought that Nike had achieved that with the Mercurial Superfly V, we were wrong. And we only realised we were wrong when we started playing in the Mercurial Superfly 360.
The upper feels like you've put your foot out and Nike have quite literally knitted the boot around your foot. It's satisfyingly tight and it feels as if all the excess air and space has been vacuumed out to create a locked fit – but a locked fit that still allows the foot to bend naturally due to the supple nature of the upper.
The upper feels lighter, thinner and more responsive, and for good reason too. This is possibly the biggest factor: On the previous Mercurial Superfly V, Nike applied ACC technology on top of the Flyknit, which actually made the boot quite firm to feel, and a bit stiffer than you'd like. On the Mercurial Superfly 360 the ACC is embedded into the yarns prior to knitting, eliminating the additional skin. The result being a thinner, lighter, more flexible boot, but equally as durable.
The phrase 'barefoot feel' often gets thrown around when talking about football boots, but the Mercurial Superfly 360 is probably the first boot where we've fully understood what that means. 'Barefoot feel' doesn't mean the feeling of striking a ball in bare feet, or an ultra-thin upper, rather how the foot is unrestricted in terms of flexibility, and the Flyknit upper works with the foot rather than against it to achieve that.
'Extension of the foot' is another term that's often heard, and the Mercurial Superfly achieves that much easier than previous Superfly generations. The Dynamic Fit Collar flows much smoother onto the ankle without leaving a thick ridge at the top of the boot. The collar is thinner but equally as harnessing, and just feels far more natural.
Balls Out
Once you're locked into the Mercurial Superfly 360 you instantly feel light on your toes, you feel sharp. There's no sense of restriction in movement, every concept of the boot works together to eliminate any stiffness. The key technology on the upper in terms of ball control are the Flyknit groves that cover the upper. Realistically you don't feel these when you're in control of the ball, and it's a minor benefit in controlling the ball when running at speed, but that's why the Mercurial is the best speed boot on the market – every tiny possible performance enhancement is covered.
If the grooves were any larger, or any grippier then you'd face the problem of the boot sticking to the ball when you roll your foot across the ball. No worries of that here. As we've mentioned, the 360 Flyknit construction is thinner than the previous generation, but striking the ball is as clean as it comes. Due to the fact of the foot being locked in, there's no excess spaces between the inside of the boot and foot, and this creates a real ping when striking the ball at goal.
What does the Nike Grip tech do?
There was a time when weight was the ultimate factor on the success of a speed boot. And whilst weight is still a key factor, things are much more complex now. The foot must be locked in so the boot and foot move together when pushing off or changing direction. If the foot slips just 1mm inside the boot then speed is compromised.
Inside the boot Nike have used their Grip Insole Technology. The sockliner interlocks with a new internal chassis that is tuned for maximum responsiveness. Basically the sockliner has a ridged stern plate stuck to the bottom of it that slots into the soleplate like a jigsaw puzzle, ensuring the insole doesn't move during a game.
That Soleplate
Apart from being damn right beautiful with its iridescent shimmer and split design, the soleplate of the Mercurial Superfly 360 works as well as it looks. The front studs slice into the ground quickly to aid acceleration on the vital first few explosive strides, and the rear soleplate is shaped to aid de-acceleration to benefit changes in direction.
Negatives?
Do you know what? It's hard to pick any out. You've got to ask yourself what more you'd want from a speed boot that the Mercurial Superfly 360 doesn't have. It's lighter, more flexible, and more comfortable than the previous generation. It's even a tad cheaper. Performance wise it's faultless. Aesthetically, be prepared for it to get filthy in this colourway, and it quickly doesn't look as pretty as it did out of the box. But... that's about it. Nike have got a real job on their hands with the next-generation of Mercurial after this one.
The Verdict
Easy. The Nike Mercurial Superfly 360 is the most complete speed boot to date in our opinion. Hands down. Every tech advancement works together to ensure the perfect concoction of lightweight, durability, locked in fit and comfort. Nothing is introduced for the sake of it, everything is focused on providing comfortable speed, and everything works. It makes the Superfly V feel stiff and a bit chunky.
When new colourways are introduced the Mercurial Superfly 360 has everything in order to become the best Mercurial of all-time. That's quite some statement, we know, but throw in the likes of Neymar, CR7, Mbappe, Hazard, Sanchez, Sterling etc heading into a World Cup year and it's equipped to be the new generation speed icon.
Pick up the Nike Mercurial Superfly 360 from prodirectsoccer.com
