Come in, shut the door, and take a seat in the presence of pace. For Superfly season has commenced. This is the inauguration for the new king of Nike speed – The Mercurial Superfly 360. Russia ready with Swoosh swag. It's showtime.
Carved from a legacy of iconic speed, the Mercurial Superfly 360 is 20 years of influential innovation. The creator of football's fast, and the orchestrator of legendary moments made by ruthless finishers. The Mercurial is the striker. It's selfish, it doesn't so much look for headlines as sprints after them at full throttle. It's the final touch. It's a statement, and it's unapologetically bold AF.
Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Didier Drogba, the list goes on. Since 1998 the Mercurial has been synonymous with the fastest footballers on the planet, and 2018 brings a new chapter in the form of the Mercurial Superfly 360, and a new cast in Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Marco Asensio. Again, the list goes on.
So, what's it all about? Tech wise, it's quite the transformation from the previous Mercurial Superfly. A 360 degree construction and Flyknit collar wraps around the foot for an adaptive fit, and ribbed Flyknit on the upper provides a precision touch at high speed. The revolutionary forefoot plate brings the traction game up to scratch in shimmering aesthetic style.
The idea of the 360 degree construction is that the boot hugs the foot. If the foot moves just 1mm when inside the boot then speed is compromised; the Superfly ensures the foot is locked in and as close to the soleplate as possible, to work as an extension of the foot.
Previous Mercurials were based on a size 9. But with Mercurial 360, Nike can deliver properly proportioned fit at every size. Each size has a unique chassis designed to align with the expected bone structure. The claw-like soleplate is inspired by the Cheetah paw – an aggressive forefoot is built for acceleration in any direction while the heel studs help the player stop on a dime.
All Nike Mercurial players will switch into the Mercurial Superfly 360 and Mercurial Vapor 360 on-pitch from this weekend.
Pick up the Nike Mercurial Superfly 360 from prodirectsoccer.com from Feb 14.
Photography by Alex Penfornis for SoccerBible
