The Tiempo is still the OG boot for Nike. A boot with a history that dates back to 1984, and a boot that has been tweaked and transformed to remain relevant throughout decades of elite level football. As attentions turn towards a new season Nike deliver the eighth chapter of the Legend series with a design that's typically Tiempo and stylishly Swoosh.
It's almost two years to the day that Nike rolled out the previous generation Tiempo 7 so we knew that an update was imminent, and we've not only got an update, but an upgrade too as the Swoosh present a sleeker, lighter and more comfort-focused Tiempo than ever before. Nike have a skilled knack of taking a boot which is labelled as perfect by players, and then immediately taking things to the next level with one glance at the new edition. And that's exactly what they've done here.
Dropping in a duo of debut colourways – The "Under The Radar" edition featured here, and an all white "Nouveau" edition – the Tiempo VIII adopts a mindset of "the softest touch for the hardest working players" with its premium kangaroo leather upper which is in a diamond shape design and is unstitched for a soft, uninterrupted touch.
Other tech upgrades see the Quadfit mesh lining which hugs the foot for a comfortable feel,and Nike Sport Research Lab data indicates that Flyknit hugging a boot's arch makes a player feel more secure, so a new Flyknit Fit Tunnel was created to provide a supportive, snug fit around the mid-foot. All of this sits on top of the Hyperstability soleplate (same as Tiempo 7) to provide the multidirectional traction. So we're looking at a boot predominantly aimed at central defenders and central midfielders.
For so many years Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique were the main faces of the Tiempo, and while they'll still be key figures in the Tiempo line-up, it'll be Liverpool colossus Virgil van Dijk who will front the new generation boot, and it's this colourway that will be dished out to all Tiempo pro players to wear on pitch.
The Tiempo VIII will be joined by the rest of the "Under The Radar" pack in the next couple of weeks as pre-season approaches. So expect to see the darkened colour palette wrap around the Phantom VSN & VNM as well as the next generation of Mercurial.
Pick up the Nike Tiempo Legend VIII football boots at prodirectsoccer.com
