Right, we've all got a favourite Predator haven't we? But what does your favourite Predator say about you? As adidas celebrate the 25th anniversary of their iconic football boot, we're taking a look back at the nostalgic influences that install your selected boot as the real OG.
Granted, this is going depend massively on your age. But it's all about preference right? You can't be wrong? Well, yes you can be wrong. Perhaps you had Charlie Adam in your fantasy football team for his one half decent Premier League season with Blackpool and that's masking the fact that Predator X was about as disappointing as his move to Liverpool. Nah, there's no right answer. But you will be judged.
The 1994 – Firstly, your playing days are long gone. Secondly, you're big into tyres and own at least one leather jacket that looks pretty much exactly like this boot.
The Rapier (1995) – You think that this was the last "proper" football boot ever made. You're approaching 40 and are wondering whether you've still got your pair in the loft. You probably have, but they've only got 5 collective studs in them.
The Touch (1996) – You're solely responsible for 12% of the view count for Paul Gascoigne's Euro 96 goal against Scotland. That splash of red is just the perfect amount of flash. You hate the new Predator and have definitely said out loud the following sentences: "What's wrong with laces?" and "What happens when a defender stands on your foot?"
The Accelerator (1998) – At some point in your life you made the conscious decision to grow a pair of curtains. Which is ironic because if this is your favourite Predator then you have impeccable taste. You also rightly believe that FIFA 98 'Road to World Cup' was the greatest game of all time because you could play indoors. Now you're thinking about Blur's Song 2. We'd probably be mates because we understand that you're angry we've used a photo of the SG and not the FG.
The Precision (2000) – You thought about buying the all silver colourway but bottled it and went for the "Black/White/Red". You believe that all boots should have a fold-over tongue, and you spent 95% of your summer holidays as a kid bending balls into a empty goal with your best mate on the other side bending it back. 1 point for a post, 3 points for a crossbar. The other 5% was spent playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. Life was good.
The Mania (2002) – You're in the majority here. You hear the word Predator, you think of these. You think of Beckham, you think of Zidane, you think of the 2002 World Cup, you can't believe it was 17 years ago, you think about the time you had a blonde-tipped-mohawk. You don't regret it. You do however, regret playing GTA Vice City for every waking hour instead of revising for your A-Levels. You definitely circled the "Gun Metal" colourway in Pro:Direct Soccer's 'BootBible' and left it on your parents bed.
The Pulse (2004) – Remember how much joy you had in your heart when you bought these? And remember how much it hurt when the front of the soleplate ripped off? The Pulse followed arguably three of the greatest Predators of all time, so it's hard to imagine it's anyone's favourite Predator. For us it's the first official modern-era-Predator. You must have scored some bangers in them to call them your favourites. And that you did, we don't doubt.
The Absolute (2006) – The World Cup in 2006 was the first World Cup you can remember watching, and you can still remember your excuse you used to sack off school to watch South Korea vs Togo. Every time you see a hockey stick you think of the rubber bits on the Absolute, and you probably scored some outrageous long rangers with Michael Ballack on Pro Evo 6.
The Powerswerve (2007) – Again, apologies for using the SG version. We're as disappointed as you are, trust us. If you think the Powerswerve was the greatest Predator of all time, you are not alone. You're also most likely a Liverpool fan, a Steven Gerrard fan, or Steven Gerrard. The last proper Predator? You said it... not us...
The X (2009) – You play rugby.
The adiPower (2011) – You're either Robin van Persie or too young to remember a time before 2008, and we can't blame you for either of those things.
The LZ I (2012) – You wear football boot trainers, a vest, and boot-cut jeans to the gym. In other words you're a psychopath. Seriously, corpses have been dredged out of rivers in better nick.
The LZ II (2013) – Remember that man who thought the first ever Predator was the greatest ever Predator? Well that man is giving you the 1,000-yard Vietnam vet stare as you show him your pink Predators. That man no longer calls you his son. For the record, we quite liked the LZ II. Proper Pred-DNA.
The Instinct (2014) – The last thing you need as a teenager is something you love being cruelly taken away from you. That wreaks havoc on your emotions. So, if this is your favourite Predator then we'll accept that. After all, at one point, it was the last chapter of football's greatest love story.
The Predator 18+ – You're young, ambitious, and not influenced by drunken summers of nostalgia, sipping warm frothy lagers from plastic glasses, while watching England crash out of World Cups in a heap of disappointment. And for those reasons you know much more than the rest of us.
Got a favourite Predator? Tweet us. Does anyone Tweet anymore? No? Instagram us or something then. Either way we'll probably ignore you unless we agree...
