Nike Hypervenom: Neymar Júnior's golden dream

As a football-obsessed 12 year-old in the Brasilian coastal city of Santos, Neymar Jr. would spray paint his football boots gold. Now Nike has created a stunning new gold version of the Brasilian star's Hypervenom boots for him to wear during the rest of the tournament.

The boot will be available on www.nike.com from June 26th.

 

The original Hypervenom Phantom boot was launched by Neymar Jr. in Rio de Janeiro in May 2013 and made an immediate mark when he lit up his home country in the Confederations Cup.

“When we met with Neymar he told us that when he was 12 he used to spray paint his boots gold. He said that he always wanted a pair of gold boots but that he couldn’t find them anywhere. So we took that insight and decided this summer would be the perfect moment to create this boot for him,” said Denis Dekovic, Nike Football Design Director.

 

“The biggest challenge was getting the gold tone perfect so it had the right spray-painted look," Dekovic said. "We worked closely with Neymar to get it as close to how he remembered the color when he would apply it as a kid. We’re all delighted with the results and can’t wait to see it on pitch.”

This special version of the Hypervenom Phantom features a unique sock-liner detail of a gold spray paint can and the Hypervenom boot graphic .

The Nike Football design team created the Hypervenom by first looking at trends among strikers in today’s game.

“The Nike Hypervenom is a response to the way the game is changing. Players want to be quicker, not just in a foot race, but quicker with the ball at their feet in small spaces. They need to create chances from nothing. The Hypervenom was designed to help combat today's faster defenders by allowing strikers that extra split-second in the box," said Dekovic.

 

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Welcome to evolution boot nerds: Nike Magista

Never thought I would see the day when people would freak out about new boot releases as much as me. Maybe everyone loves that new boot smell and boot nerds will soon take over?  Today Nike Football dropped the Nike Magista.

Born from four years of extensive research and development in the Nike Sport Research Lab and with feedback from some of the world’s best attacking playmakers, including Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta and German forward Mario Gotze, the Magista is designed to enable devastating creativity in a game where space is at a premium.

As always, new boot new technology. Focus with this release is for playmakers with improved fit, touch and traction being the focus. Magista’s features a new mid-cut Dynamic Fit Collar that provides a more locked-down fit and increased awareness of the body’s movements and interaction with the ground and the ball.

BUILT FOR UNSTOPPABLE PLAYMAKING

The Magista is designed for the player who is always moving, creating the attack and dictating play. In a game that is faster than ever — both mentally and physically — space is at a premium and high-speed control is essential. While the Magista player is constantly creating opportunities on the pitch, he needs to focus on seeing ahead, seeing the pass that no one else can see. The Magista liberates the player to unlock his fullest potential and focus on that split second that could change the game.

The fit of this boot is so unique that I don’t think about it when I’m wearing it. It allows me to move the way I need to instinctively and with more confidence. – Andres iniesta

NIKE FLYKNIT TECHNOLOGY

Nike Flyknit – which was first used in Nike running shoes in 2012 – defies conventional shoe manufacturing processes by creating an engineered upper woven from special yarns. Utilizing a custom Nike last and Nike Flyknit construction, Magista offers a snug fit at the arch, heel and forefoot, and the added element of a Dynamic Fit collar hugs players in, locking them down in the boot.

The idea of Flyknit and the Dynamic Fit collar became obvious when we began testing our first prototypes — it was a new experience. It’s like wearing a glove. A glove starts at the wrist, not halfway up the hand.  You need that transition so you don’t disrupt your body’s natural movement. - Phil McCartney, VP of Sport Performance Footwear.

As Nike’s design team worked to perfect the collar height, they found through player feedback that the Dynamic Fit collar not only provided a more locked-down fit, but that players also felt more confident and more aware of their movements. To provide additional strength and lock-down for multi-directional movement, designers added Brio cables. These cables are knitted directly into the one-piece upper and lock the eyelet into the outsole, creating strength similar to a suspension bridge.

BUILT FOR IMPROVED CONTROL

For consistent contact and increased control, the Magista features a 3D-knit textured upper. The Magista player needs a more aggressive texture to create friction on the ball for accurate dribbling and striking.

Previous construction methods required added layers to the top of the boot to get this friction, ultimately moving the foot further from the ball, but Nike Flyknit allows us to knit texture directly into the boot. 3D knit is new for Nike and for football, and hundreds of revisions were required to get this 3D pattern exactly right. The result of all this work is great ball feel in a minimal package.  - Phil McCartney, VP of Sport Performance Footwear.

To protect the foot from water and cold, Nike’s design team developed a special application of NIKESKIN placed over top the Flyknit. The skin is less than 0.1 mm thick — thinner than a sheet of paper — and melts onto the knit to help protect from water that provide protection.

BUILT FOR IMPROVED TRACTION

The Magista player stops, decelerates and moves in multiple directions while controlling the ball. For this player, Nike added 360° rotational traction through conical studs and a Pebax-and-nylon plate to improve traction.

Compressed nylon offers a highly responsive plate that delivers strength while remaining incredibly light. Combined with Pebax, the structure allows for flex and increased movement with the foot while eliminating mechanical flex (an area where the boot always flexes in the same spot).

Nylon extends to the big toe and acts as a chassis to help players plant and then spring off the ground for more explosive speed. Nike also removed the insole board to place the player closer to the ground for a better center of gravity and enhanced traction. Finally, the entirely conical stud configuration is unique to the Magista, enabling 360° rotation.

Go Get It.

Nike Magista: Football will never be the same

In 2010 the CTR360 came on the scene and blew the boot world away with its unique fit and awesome comfort/durability on the pitch. Along with the athletic fit the game changer was the introduction to kanga lite. Hands down the CTR360 silo has been one of the best and most successful silos created in the past decade by Nike. Over time the boot has evolved and the kanga lite synthetic leather has become almost surreal in terms of its in hand experience. However, evolution is a must within the football market because when boots get stagnant so do the consumers along with the market. Sometimes change is good.  

So with that in mind, Nike is set to drop a new kind of boot. Now a new innovation is set to drop and hit the pitch. The name is called "Magista" which is all you need to know for now boot nerds.  The Nike Magista set to launch on the 6th of March but that week delay hasn't stopped the sportswear giant from being massive teases.

So with that in mind, Nike is set to drop a new kind of boot to replace the infamous CTR360. The Nike Magista set to launch on the 6th of March but that week delay hasn't stopped the sportswear giant from being massive teases. As part of the buildup, Nike have released a video featuring a very blurry and pixilated look at the new boot with stars like Andres Iniesta, Mario Goetze, Thiago Silva, and Christian Eriksen, among others, singing the Magista's prizes. "Unbelievable," "perfect," "futuristic," and "it's a true revolution" were just some of the words that the world-class footballers testing the new boot used to describe it.

Battle of the Brands:

Ronaldo asked "How can you compare adidas to Nike?" The rest followed as below:

Alonso: adidas is history, Nike are basketball shoes.

Ronaldo: Basketball?

Alonso: Yes. Those boots are best?

Cristiano Ronaldo: Yes, these boots are top... for a top player.

Alonso: But they're plastic.

Ronaldo: Plastic?

Alonso: Yes Plastic. Nike Football are 3 days old. Madrid is adidas, adidas is 70 years in football, not like Nike who have been around 3 days.

Nike Tiempo: From the pitch to the street

My life your entertainment here at Footy Guru… Walk a mile in my shoes and you will understand this is who I am. If you’re sleeping on the QS Tiempo’s you better wake up! As many of you boot nerds know a couple weeks ago Nike Football brought the Tiempo to the streets with the Nike Tiempo 94 Suede Pack. 

However, now it’s time for a little Quick strike footy inspired action Based on the World Cup-worn Tiempo 94, Nike look to inject some football flavor into the Tiempo 94 by creating two QS releases. One as an ode to CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) and the other the FFF (French Football Federation), both editions lend their schematic from the each corresponding team’s uniforms for this year’s Brazilian World Cup, and come rounded out with flag tags sitting pretty up back. Both releases are available now from select Nike retailers. There should be no cop or drop discussion because these are next level in terms of footy inspired kicks.

2013 FootyG Style

Nike Reflective Pack

Nike Drop Reflective Pack

Nike Footy today revealed its latest boot collection for Holiday ’13.  The four-silo Flash Pack features some of Nike’s top boots including the Hypervenom, Mercurial, Tiempo and CTR360 in a bright white boot with distinct reflective design patterns over the back heel area. With this Flash Pack each boot has a different and very distinct outsole that really stands out with the white upper on the boot. 

I have always said that the out sole is if not more important than the upper on a pair of boots. It's a point of difference and if it's done will it can add value to the boot. Each of the four boots features a unique silver reflective blocking design that speaks to the boot’s silo and is inspired by some of nature’s most magnificent creatures. For the inspiration behind each boot all you need to do is look in the insole. 

“We wanted to create an intuitive predator pattern to accentuate each silo’s attitude. We used a white-based concealed graphic so that on first look it seems like a straightforward design, but with closer inspection you see some of those unique graphics,” said Denis Dekovic, Design Director, Nike Football.

The Hypervenom’s reflective area is reptilian-inspired, while the Mercurial’s leopard-like print pays homage to the boot’s speed heritage aka cheetah. The Tiempo’s lion-esque leadership qualities are apparent in it’s own reflective print, while the CTR360 takes its print inspiration from various birds of prey.

The Flash Pack is now available on Nike.com or head down to Far Post Soccer Supply to purchase a pair. 

Launch day shenanigans: Reflective Pack

More info to come regarding the pack... stay tuned later today boot nerds.

Throwback Thursday: 2010 Nike WC Elite Series

I have been booking boots for 2014 aka the road to Brazil I have begun to think back at the last World Cup and most importantly the boots. I mean the tournament is cool but here at Footy Guru its all about the boots! So I have decided to take you boots back down memory lane. In World cup 2010- Nike introduced the Nike Elite Series. With adidas holding on to the sponsorship of the world cup Nike had to do something special to make a splash at the tournament and be remembered. Nike did just that and they did it with ambush marketing on the field by creating a vibrant new line of boots called the WC Elite Series. With this move they even created and established a new market for elite/professional level boots on the market. It turned the boot market and football obsessed teens on put their heads on a swivel.

With the elite series Nike were able to redesign a series of boots that were 15% lighter then it's predecessors by changing the upper and out sole of Vapor, Super Fly, Total 90, Ctr 360, and the Tiempo. Not only were the boots lighter but visually the boots were so different than any other boot on the pitch which made them stand out on the tele and from the stands. In the end, with the distinctive high vise upper you could clearly tell the Nike athletes from the other brands, which was genius by Nike. Why was it genius? Nike was able to make an elite series brand of boots that were visually pleasing and the exact boots the athletes on the pitch were wearing. They also for the first time in history dropped a pack of boots that all looked alike. In addition, it seemed like every elite Nike endorsed player sported the boots, and after looking back all I can remember are those orange boots racing around the pitch. They were every where!

Furthermore, Nike's write the future; unless if you lived in a cave in 2010 there is no way you could of missed the infamous commercials that Nike put together to showcase their athletes, boots, and creativity. The commercial was amazing and selected scenes showed Rooney homeless, CR7 nutmegging Homer Simpson, and Ronaldinho who was a no show do his patented snake move; in all the commercial captured what could be and pulled the motif that if you were a footballer it was your job to write the future on the pitch and make the play that would change the outcome of the game. In the end, the commercial was brilliant and made myself along with billions of others to remember Nike Football, and to always WRITE THE FUTURE on the pitch. I guess you can say I am looking forward to 2014.

Boot nerd photo of the day:

Simplicity never looked so good on the pitch... Boot nerd photo of the day features the #Tiempo Legend from @nikefootball. Boot features a kangaroo leather upper and offers tremendous value at any position on the pitch. Would like to thank @fafm for the photo of his boots. To share your boots with fellow boot nerds tag your photos #footyguru. As always many of you will apply but only a select few will make the cut.

How To Return Defective Nike Boots Back to Nike:

The newest releases from Nike:

 

The newest releases from Nike have just arrived at Far Post Soccer Supply. If you are a boot nerd this would make a pretty decent background on your phone or computer. Which boot you guys feeling the most? #footyguru #CTR360 #vaporix #tiempo #hypervenom

Andrés Iniesta: My Ground

Nike GS2 Not so limited...

So it seems that limited does not mean limited when it comes to Nike Soccer pushing the marketing on the latest GS2 release. I thought they would only be only available at select soccer specialty accounts but after some research I realized that Dicks Sporting Goods has the boots and in big quantities. Dicks sporting goods?!? Like every other account the boots come in whole sizes but if you are having trouble finding the boots head over to Dicks Sporting Goods to get your pair.

If your a player and you buy your boots at Dicks sporting goods you need some help. This product aka the GS2 in my opinion should be special and in terms of special it should only be sold at select soccer specialty accounts. So in terms of limited edition, the GS2 has lost its ring for me as a consumer and boot nerd. I knew something was fishy when Nike never gave out a count of pairs produced and its because over the next couple weeks the market and the fields will be flooded with the boots.

I think they should of kept them limited because every release the few customers who got the boots would feel special and the demand and the meaning of the boots would be that much more for boot nerds/consumers. I see this as Nike getting greedy and rather make the boot ghost like the GS2 will soon loose its ring as limited and elite because once every body gets their hands on the boots the hype will be over.

Union's Chris Gibbs styles Clint Dempsey for Nike

Demps gets kitted out just because he is Clint. Peep the woven Nike Gatos....