Ready to standout in the sea of pink that's been present at this World Cup, PUMA have tapped up KidSuper to create a special edition Future for Neymar Jr. as he sets his sights on a return to the Brazil team.
In a tournament where pink boots have dominated the pitches across Mexico, United States, and Canada, PUMA goes in a totally different direction, but one that’s sure to stand out: a boot designed exclusively for the one and only Neymar, rooted in his personal story, his country, and his legacy. As well as the obvious nods to the Selecao's unmistakeable home colours, the design also takes its cues from one of the most powerful symbols in sport and mythology: the Phoenix, with the messaging being centred around resilience, belief, and rebirth.
That concept wasn’t just a loose theme either – it’s something that was aligned from the off between Neymar Jr., KidSuper and the PUMA team, all working from a shared vision built around his career journey. The setbacks, the injuries, the criticism, the comebacks – it’s all baked into this release. With the eyes of the world locked in and the pressure cranked up, the aim was to create a boot that reflects not just where Neymar is right now, but everything it took to get him there.
Unveiled in suitably personal fashion, the boots were hand-delivered to Neymar by KidSuper himself last weekend, presented in a custom seeding case ahead of Brazil’s final World Cup group stage clash against Scotland. A proper full-circle moment.
As for the design itself, it's as flamboyant as the man it was created for. The upper bursts to life with a bold yellow base – a shade personally chosen by Neymar – immediately tapping into that unmistakable Brazilian energy. Across it sits a hand-drawn phoenix graphic courtesy of KidSuper, with feathered detailing woven into the Future’s 3D textured surface, blurring the lines between performance tech and wearable art. Hits of green, including the PUMA cat, subtly ground things back in Brazil’s iconic colour palette.
But it’s the finer details that really land. Tucked away on the sockliner is perhaps the most personal touch of all, inspired by Neymar’s ‘Brazilian boy’ tattoo. Three hand-drawn symbols – a football pitch, a home, and the World Cup trophy – chart the journey from humble beginnings to global superstardom. It’s a quiet reminder of where it all started, and what it’s all been building towards.
Speaking on the release, Neymar said: “This is a special boot for me. The Phoenix is my story. Every time people counted me out, I came back. The yellow, the details in the sole, the symbols – all of it is personal. I wanted people to look at this boot and feel what I feel every time I put it on and step onto the pitch for Brazil.”
For KidSuper’s Colm Dillane, the project clearly hits just as deep: “Neymar is one of my heroes. We’re around the same age, which makes it even crazier to be collaborating with someone I’ve looked up to since I was ten years old. I hope these boots bring him a little luck heading into the World Cup. More than anything, I hope he wins the whole thing.”
Whether it’s a story of redemption, a piece of art, or simply one of the standout boots of the tournament, one thing’s certain: in a World Cup awash with pink, this is something very different, very Brazilian, and very Neymar.
The PUMA x KidSuper Future NJR will be available from 26 June at prodirectsport.com/soccer
