Behold, the return of street football's most cherished son – the Nike LunarGato II. Prince of the playground, King of the cage, the LunarGato II is back to boss the small-sided scene as the Swoosh reinstate a much-loved shoe that first launched in 2013.
In the past few seasons brands have focused heavily, and very successfully, on transitioning football footwear into a lifestyle market. Nike pulled it off perfectly with the Zoom Mercurial and Magista Air Footscape Magista before PSG editions of Jordan footwear and CR7 Air Max editions to name just a few projects. Yes, the FootballX collection has plodded along mirroring the Tiempo, Mercurial & Phantoms but there's been something missing from the Swoosh futsal line-up. A genuine performance shoe. A football shoe you can't wear with jeans. This is it.
The FootballX offerings are essentially transformed version of Nike's on-pitch boots. That's where the LunarGato II is different – it's created from scratch for small-sided environment, not just build to try to adapt to them. Whether it’s an indoor match, on a tight pitch, over the streets, wood or anything in between, the iconic LunarGato II brings back the versatile mix of traction, support and stability to dominate the challenges of the game.
On man who knows a thing or two about that is six-time World Futsal Player of the Year, Ricardinho. O Mágico (The Magician), has won multiple league titles with his clubs in Spain and Portugal, and has played many significant matches in the LunarGato II. “I’m really happy to see the boot back again. The best moments in my career happened while I was wearing these,” Ricardinho says. “My style on pitch is fast, and these boots are perfect to stop and start. The Lunar sole feels very responsive and helps me while braking and changing pace. My whole foot feels grounded and the stability is great.”
Returning this month, the shoe reinstates everything that was loved about the original LunarGato II, including the Lunarlon cushioning system and non-marking court rubber outsole. Constructed of flexing ridges, the outsole is designed to support multi-directional traction and agile underfoot ball control when dribbling or shooting. The upper design combines super-soft leather in the forefront and Hyperfused mesh panels in the midfoot for structure and breathability. The reinforced vamp enhances a superb ball feel for ultimate touch plus extra durability.
The Nike LunarGato II lands on February 18, with a wide variety of colour updates continuing to drop throughout the year.
