Nike creates football boot for ‘new breed’ of player
30/05/2013
Strikers Neymar da Silva from Brazil, England's Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Sweden specified the need for a boot that could help them create space quickly in and around the penalty area and get their shot off from any angle.
The Nike Football design team, led by Denis Dekovic, began by looking at the attacking forces in today’s game. He said: “The game is changing. It used to be that speed was the focus of the attacking side of the game, but now everybody has pace. Players want to be quicker with the ball at their feet in small spaces.”
The Hypervenom’s upper is created using the new Nikeskin system. This features a soft, supple mesh bound with a thin polyurethane film, and is finished off with Nike All Conditions Control technology to provide the same level of foot-to-ball control in wet and dry conditions.
“Traditionally a new boot will focus on an evolution of the fit, the upper material or the sole plate and stud configuration. The Hypervenom features new solutions for all of these areas,” said Phil McCartney, vice-president of Nike Football for footwear.
The boot features a new foot last, removing excess material to place the foot closer to the ground and ball. The company says it is its most anatomical last to date.
It worked with podiatrists to create a decoupled outsole that increases the player’s ability to make the first step away from the defender. A groove in the forefoot helps to activate the first metatarsal, says the company - the bone that defines reaction time of the foot’s first movement.
The chassis of the outsole features compressed nylon for a “high-response plate” that helps deliver strength while being light. The stud configuration and length is designed to allow for faster penetration of the surface and a quicker release.
The new boots will debut on June 2 in the Brazil versus England match on Neymar and Rooney. Other players set to wear the boot include Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski and Danny Welbeck.
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