Since his first signature edition Mercurial in 2010, Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed a series unlike any other footballer in history. 31 individual designs crafted specifically for the Portuguese legend, telling his story, honouring his many accomplishments, and celebrating his status as the greatest Nike athlete to ever play the game.
12 years on from the debut of his first signature edition Mercurial, Cristiano Ronaldo will lace up another signature design for the 2022 World Cup. The new aesthetic becomes Ronaldo's 31st signature design and in honour of this latest release, we’re taking a look back at his full Mercurial collection; the most established and successful signature boot series of all time. Good luck picking a favourite...
1. Mercurial Superfly II CR ‘Safari’ – October 2010 | A landmark occasion as Nike launched the first signature edition Mercurial for the imperious Portuguese icon. The unmistakable safari print was incorporated in the design to show off the combination of his lightning speed with his effortless style. It debuted on pitch in the Madrid derby in November 2010.
2. CR Mercurial Superfly III ‘Safari Black’ – April 2011 | Ronaldo’s second signature edition featured a striking tonal black-on-black safari print with a distinctive volt green geometric pattern on the heel and trademark swoosh wrapping the forefoot. Ronaldo wore this boot in the 2011 Copa del Rey final, scoring the only goal in the game against Barcelona.
3. Mercurial Vapor Superfly CR7 III – November 2011 | A brave look and understandably divisive at a time when the rivalry between Nike and adidas was as strong as ever. The Swoosh dressed Ronaldo's latest signature edition in a 50-50 split of pinstripes and block stripes.
4. Mercurial Vapor VIII CR – November 2012 | The next instalment put Ronaldo’s speed front and centre, with a track spike-inspired fit. The colourway was inspired by his new signature clothing range, as Nike ratcheted up its CR7 marketing game.
5. Mercurial Vapor IX CR SE – January 2013 | A limited release saw just 100 pairs of this boot released. It was designed to celebrate Ronaldo's record breaking 2011/12 season, with the numbers representing certain milestones (1 first Spanish championship; 9 goals for Portugal; 14 games played for the national team; 19 the first player to score against all 19 La Liga teams; 27 years old in 2013; 55 games played in all tournaments for his club; 60 goals scored in all tournaments for his club).
6. Mercurial Vapor IX CR SE – March 2013 | The Mercurial IX CR SE design took inspiration from cycling's 'Rainbow Jersey' – a striped coloured jersey given to the world champion to make him more visible to other competitors. That rashy Swoosh... not for us.
7. Mercurial Vapor IX CR 'Galaxy' – October 2013 | The design here featured an all-over digital print of the Star Vela Supernova and it included a seven star path print, paying homage to Cristiano's shirt number. He went on to score his 100th away goal in his 106 away appearances for Madrid in November 2014 in these boots, including his 19th league hat-trick. Out of this world and that.
8. Mercurial Vapor IX CR – April 2014 | Following his 2013 Ballon d'Or success, awarded for, amongst other things, averaging a goal a game and becoming the fastest player in Madrid's history to score 200 goals, Nike honoured their star with this resplendent white, black and gold design. Another very limited edition release.
9. Mercurial Superfly IV CR7 – October 2014 | The first time the now iconic CR7 branding became a part of the series and the first time the signature line adopted a dynamic fit collar. In December 2014 while wearing these boots he scored a hat-trick in what was his 178th league game, making him the fastest player in league history to score 200 goals. He went on to win his second FIFA Club World Cup title in them, beating San Lorenzo 2-0.
10. Mercurial Superfly IV CR7 SE 'Rare Gold' – Jan 2015 | Launched to mark Cristiano Ronaldo's third Ballon d'Or success Nike created a signature celebratory Superfly IV worn exclusively by the main man on the back of the awards ceremony in January. Just 333 pairs of this edition were released worldwide, lending the name 'Rare Gold' some serious meaning.
11. Mercurial Superfly IV CR7 ‘Silverware’ – April 2015 | Inspired by the trophies that he was picking up season after season the Mercurial Superfly CR7 Silverware saw Ronaldo score five times in one league game for the first time in his career. In the same month, he also scored his 300th goal for Madrid, becoming the first player in the history of football to score 50 or more goals in a season on five occasions. He also broke Madrid's hat-trick record with his 29th.
12. Mercurial Superfly IV CR7 ‘324k Gold’ – Oct 2015 | The ‘324k Gold’ celebrated Ronaldo ruthlessly powering his way to becoming the club's all-time leading scorer with 324 goals –a feat that he achieved in just 311 games, all while wearing the Mercurial line.
13. Mercurial Superfly IV CR7 Chapter 1: ’Savage Beauty’ – October 2015 | The first chapter in Nike’s chronicling of Ronaldo’s past through a series of seven Mercurial Superfly CR7 boots, 'Savage Beauty' took its cues from Madeira, the volcanic Portuguese island where the player was born, with fiery, lava-inspired graphics throughout. In December 2015, he set a record for goals scored in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League with 11 in these.
14. Mercurial Superfly CR7 ‘Quinhentos’ – March 2016 | Unveiled at the same time as the 324k edition, but going on sale a few months later the ‘Quinhentos’ commemorated Ronaldo surpassing 500 career goals. Like the Mercurial Superfly CR7 324K Gold, this boot is inspired by a Mercurial Vapor 3 colourway and features a back heel placement of the CR7 logo and a heathered Dynamic Fit Collar.
15. Mercurial Superfly CR7 Chapter 2: ’Natural Diamond’ – March 2016 | The second chapter of the CR7 series saw Nike dropping a design that focused on Ronaldo's move away from his childhood home in Madeira to Lisbon, on a quest to become a professional football player. Went alright, that.
16. Mercurial Superfly V CR7 Chapter 3: ’Discovery’ – November 2016 | Chapter 3 recognised Cristiano’s fateful game for Sporting Lisbon against Manchester United on August 6th, 2003 — a match that convinced Sir Alex Ferguson to bring the explosive teenager to Old Trafford. The boot dropped in November 2016 with a split colour combo and signature branding.
17. Mercurial Superfly CR7 ‘Vitórias’ – December 2016 | A special boot for a special year, the limited edition ‘Vitorias’ commemorated all of Ronaldo’s achievements with both club and country throughout the previous 12 months, including his fourth Ballon d’Or, the UEFA Champions League title and the EURO 2016 Championship. Good innings.
18. Mercurial Superfly CR7 Chapter 4: ‘Forged For Greatness’ – April 2017 | The CR7 Mercurial series powered on through to Chapter 4 as Nike recalled his shift to the iconic number seven shirt at Manchester United. Launched in April 2017 it's a boot that he wore in the Champions League Final against Juventus in Cardiff. A 4-1 win and two goals. Done.
19. CR7 Mercurial ‘Campeões’ – June 2017 | In celebration of Portugal's EURO 2016 Championship title, Ronaldo took to the pitch in special boots designed just for him, the CR7 Mercurial 'Campeões'. The boots featured Portugal's team colours and a golden soleplate. A unique heel counter and sockliner further celebrated Ronaldo's national pride. The boots were unfortunately never released for retail.
20. Mercurial Superfly CR7 Chapter 5: ‘Cut To Brilliance’ – September 2017 | Ronaldo's world record £80m transfer to Real Madrid in 2009 served as the inspiration behind the Chapter 5 design. CR7 switched into the release for the first time in Real Madrid's Champions League games against Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur in September 2017.
21. Mercurial CR7 ‘Melhor’ – October 2017 | Celebrating his acknowledgment as the best in the world (‘Melhor’ is Portuguese for best), this release saw a subtle tweak on the Chapter 5 release, with the diamond detailing still present on the upper.
22. Mercurial Superfly CR7 ‘Quinto Triunfo’ – December 2017 | Presented to CR7 in celebration of his fifth Balon d’Or award, the 'Quinto Triunfo' featured the years of his previous and current awards (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017) within the Swoosh. Could be a contender for best CR7 design, this one.
23. Mercurial Superfly CR7 Chapter 6: ‘Born Leader’ – March 2018 | The penultimate chapter of the CR7 series dropped ahead of the 2018 World Cup as Ronaldo switched into a design that focused on his role as captain of his national team. A nod to Portugal’s historical sea exploration sat within the Swoosh, and the captain’s “C” was incorporated into a raised applique of the sphere.
24. Mercurial Superfly CR7 Chapter 6: ‘Ediciao Especial’ – June 2018 | In 154 games for his country, Ronaldo had netted more goals than any European player in history. This special Mercurial Superfly 360, a rare alternate colourway of his Chapter 6 boots, honoured his extraordinary legacy. In addition to the boots Ronaldo wore, 154 pairs were released for retail.
25. Mercurial Superfly CR7 ‘China’ – July 2018 | Dropping as part of a larger collection aimed at the huge Chinese market, the special edition Mercurial featured a pattern that included an ancient boat compass, the captain's "C" and a new Chinese-character version of Ronaldo's famed CR7 mark (C罗) which we definitely didn't just copy and paste.
26. Mercurial Superfly CR7 Chapter 7: ‘Built On Dreams’ – September 2018 | The final instalment in the CR7 series, Chapter 7 was the culmination of the storytelling, and the design paid homage to the player's number 7 in the forefoot graphic, while also nodding to the memorable carbon fiber Mercurial SL boots of the past. A bright red to silver gradient adorned the upper, and exclusive CR7 branding was found throughout.
27. Mercurial Superfly CR7 SE ‘Cristiano’ – May 2019 | To celebrate winning the Serie A title in his first season in the league, Nike served Cristiano Ronaldo with a new CR7 special edition Mercurial Superfly VI. They featured a clever nod to the black and white of Juventus, along with bold details and gold trim for a regal look that was unapologetically Ronaldo.
28. Mercurial Superfly CR7 ‘Shuai’ – July 2019 | Launched as a limited edition drop to celebrate Ronaldo's "special relationship" with China, the 'Shuai' was the first and possibly only signature CR7 design of the new Mercurial XIII. They featured a tasty graphic print of Chinese wording that read "Tong Shuai", which translates to "Stylish Commander". There you go.
29. Mercurial Superfly CR7 'Safari' – June 2020 | 10 years on from the first, Nike revisited the design that started it all in celebration of what has been a decade of dominance. The Nike Mercurial Superfly CR7 Safari mirrored the Safari Print Mercurial Vapor Superfly II, but the newer edition also incorporated CR7’s famous celebration stance, signature and logo on the sockliner.
30. Mercurial Superfly CR7 'Spark Positivity' – June 2021 | Worn by Cristiano Ronaldo throughout EURO 2020 as he raced into the the top scorer position after the group stage. Many banked on the Spark Positivity edition being Ronaldo's 30th and last signature Mercurial. Never write this man off...
31. Mercurial Air Zoom Superfly CR7 – October 2022 | So is this the last ever CR7 Mercurial? If it is, then it could be given a dream finale if Ronaldo leads his nation to a World Cup success. The design is inspired by Portuguese Azulejo tiles as he prepares to carry a little piece of his nation to the Winter showpiece.
Not a bad collection is it? Pick up the Nike Air Zoom Mercurial Superfly CR7 Safari football boots at prodirectsoccer.com
