One of the football’s most iconic boots is being relaunched in its latest avatar. Manchester United and France star Paul Pogba presented the adidas Predator 18+ 360 control on Wednesday, with the boot also being launched for Dele Alli and Mesut Ozil.
The latest Predator drew inspiration from its predecessors, with the iconic line of boots having previously been worn by, among others, David Beckham, Kaka, and of course Zinedine Zidane, who scored his famous volley in the 2002 Champions League final wearing the boot.
All three of those footballing legends, along with Pogba and Alli, recalled the influence of the Predator, adding weight to the history behind the famous shoe.
Pogba presented the newest version to the world as part of adidas’ launch event, which was streamed worldwide on Twitter. The Frenchman will be the first high-profile player to wear the Predator 18+ 360 in a match, as United play in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic is also set to begin wearing the boot on Wednesday as his side face Juventus.
The first adidas Predator was launched in 1994, and it is arguably the most classic, legendary football boot of all-time. Zidane wore that boot when he scored two goals to win France the 1998 World Cup final – although both of those were scored with his head.
Beckham was wearing it when he scored what is possibly still the most memorable goal of his career, the outrageous lob against Wimbledon from the halfway line in 1996.
It's back.#HereToCreate pic.twitter.com/uUACrMyp1A
— adidas Football (@adidasfootball) November 20, 2017
But as much as the best players’ feats while wearing the boot were great advertising, they still couldn’t top what the adidas team originally came up with – a player bringing a high ball under his control with a silky touch, before gliding past a series of challenges. At the end, the boot was described as: 100% legal. 0% fair.
The Predator has understandably emerged through multiple revisions since then, but that powerful tagline remains even as the new boot is presented by today’s footballing icons. Pogba, Ozil, and company are ready to create their own history in the Predator’s latest chapter.
