Nike have served up fresh season style for Neymar as the Paris Saint-Germain striker receives his first signature Mercurial design of the 2019/20 season. Dropping under the title 'Speed Freak' the boots are scattered with personal meaning for the Brazilian.
Taking on a Mercurial meets motorsport aesthetic, the Vapor 13 NJR 'Speed Freak' doesn't follow the same template of the standard Vapor 13 design, instead the 'Just Do It' and 'Merc' branding are removed to leave a blank canvas for the Swoosh to play with. And play they have, with numerous Neymar-related symbols linking back to his previous nine signature Mercs. This being his tenth, of course.
The most obvious racing call-out comes from the chequered flag print, while the red, black and chrome colouring is chosen to tribute two of the most iconic racing drivers of all time – the silver half of the boot is a nod to Neymar's pal Lewis Hamilton, while the red honours Brazil's legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna.
The rear of the Vapor 13 NJR Speed Freak is displayed to mirror the layout of race suit overalls worn by F1 drivers. The little icons are scattered around like sponsors and all point towards Neymar's journey: you've got the Osadia y Alegria text, the Sonho Dourado Golden Dream of his first signature Hypervenom, his roman numeral IV tattoo for his family and the Rihanna inspired 'Shhhh', fittingly the title of his previous Mercurial boot.
We've seen a mixture of Neymar signature designs in his time at PSG, but this one feels like it has that extra bit of something. A design that truly makes it a signature in the same way as the CR7 designs did. The 'Written in the Stars', 'Puro Fenomeno' and 'Meu Jogo' felt like tasty little signature colourways, but this genuinely feels like an exclusive design.
Pick up the Nike Mercurial Vapor 13 Neymar football boots at prodirectsoccer.com
Photography by Phil Martin for SoccerBible.
