Nike Football Great Britain

My expectations are greater than yours

gareth.nettl — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:14:14 GMT

Now that the world’s most expensive player has been unveiled before an 80,000-strong crowd, it’s on to business.

For every single screaming fan in the Bernabeu, that means just one thing - snatching the title from Barcelona.

The £80million man is ready to launch his latest bid for supremacy wearing new, personally tailored black Mercurial boots. Don’t bet against him.

Pre-order yours from NikeStore.com

Relentless We March

gareth.nettl — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:38:05 GMT

Always one more. One more point needed, one more result to nail, one more title earned in sweat. And then one more final to own, one more stage to dominate, one more cup to lift.

What’s one more to a reigning champion? Everything.

Own a limited edition part of history – exclusively available at NikeStore.com.

Old rivals, new battle

gareth.nettl — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:31:17 GMT

When Man Utd meet Arsenal for the first time in Europe’s elite club competition, it’s down to one player to step up and take centre stage.

Who’s going to make a name for themselves?

The History of Speed - Mercurial SL

gareth.nettl — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:47:27 GMT

The designers and engineers at Nike HQ had done it before, and in 2004 they were asked to do it all over again. Their brief was as simple and as ambitious as ever: stop at nothing to create the fastest football boot the world had ever seen.

Four years later, the 100% carbon fibre Mercurial SL concept boot made its debut in Europe’s biggest club match, gracing the feet of Cristiano Ronaldo as he rose to head home Manchester United’s only goal in the European final of finals. Debuting the carbon fibre upper with a pink swoosh, Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his record-breaking 42nd goal of the season, helping his team to victory in Moscow.

A carbon fibre plate. An injection moulded outsole. A carbon fibre upper, hand-moulded in Italy. No corner was cut in the making of this boot, no expense spared. As CR7 showed on that memorable Moscow night, the only things getting trimmed were the hundredths of a second it takes the very best players to get to the ball, strike it, and run to their teammates to celebrate a hat trick of European titles.

The History of Speed - Mercurial Vapor IV

gareth.nettl — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:24:53 GMT

It’s the first rule of working as a Nike designer: never believe those who say you can’t improve on perfection. After years of development work – and the input of Mercurial athletes from R9 himself to the latest brilliant Brazilian – the Mercurial Vapor IV is living proof that the definition of ‘perfect’ never stops changing.

When the seal was broken on Cristiano Ronaldo’s new shoebox in January 2008, you could hear the groans from defenders all over the world. The most in-form player on the planet was hard enough to stop, without adding a new weapon to his arsenal – and it took CR7 a mere 88 minutes to sear his orange peel Vapors into the fans’ memories with his first ever Manchester United hat-trick. Five months and 20 goals later, CR7’s boots contained the first winger ever to win the European Golden Shoe, and the seventh consecutive Mercurial wearer to take the title of English Premier League top scorer.

Everyone knows a boot is only ever as good as the foot inside it. And with the likes of Ronaldo, Zlatan, Robinho, Pato and Ribery all donning the MVIV, it’s clear that this boot is as good as it gets.

The History of Speed - Mercurial Vapor II

gareth.nettl — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:34:38 GMT

If the first two incarnations of the Mercurial were all about R9, the Mercurial Vapor II was the boot that announced CR7’s arrival at the highest level. While the original ‘Phenomenon’ was routinely slotting home 20-odd goals a season in La Liga, his Portuguese namesake was setting the English Premier League alight in the same boots – and earning the right to wear Manchester United’s legendary number 7 shirt.

Grace, guile – and the all-important Mercurial ingredient – goals. All these qualities made the young star’s rise through the United ranks as quick as his lightning fast feet. By the time the fans’ votes for the World Special Young Player of the Year in of 2005 had been counted, their verdict was clear: a new star had been born. And his weapon of choice was the Mercurial Vapor II.

CR7 vs Zlatan: Superfly Face Off

gareth.nettl — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:08:40 GMT

The lightning-fast feet of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will light up one of the biggest games of the season as two of Europe’s elite clubs clash head-on.

And to give their game an injection of turf-burning speed, CR7 and Zlatan will be the first players in the world to wear the new Mercurial Superfly.

The boot is the product of obsessive design and development over the last 10 years of speed. Revolutionary Flywire technology at the heart of the Superfly make it even lighter and faster – giving both players deadly pace. Never before has the evolution of a boot been such big a part of an athlete’s onfield armoury.

With 15 goals each already this season, CR7 and Zlatan have a total of 30 strikes between them. And from the moment they lace up their Superflys for a double European debut, the race for number 31 is on.

It’s all on the line.

The History of Speed – Mercurial Vapor I

gareth.nettl — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:34:07 GMT

Perfection takes time. Nike’s quest for the lightest, fastest boot began more than 10 years ago and reaches a new high this week with the debut of the Mercurial Superfly.

The original Mercurial caused the kind of stir a shark makes in a fish pond. And with its standard-bearer R9 still ruling the world four years later, the new Mercurial Vapor was the most highly anticipated boot ever to emerge from the Nike Lab – in time for the showpiece event of 2002.

With the world’s attention turned to Korea and Japan, director Terry Gilliam’s Cage Tournament ad offered the first glimpse of Ronaldo’s long-awaited new weapon – and sent chills down the spines of defenders who knew they were about to meet their match.

Never mind the eye-catching haircut – the gaze of the fans never shifted from R9’s feet as he laid down the tournament performance of his career. Eight goals in seven matches. A brace in the biggest final of all. And a record-breaking fifth world title brought safely back to Brazil. There was never any doubt whose name would come out of the envelope when the 2002 World Player of the Year was announced.

While the appreciation of R9’s fans was still echoing around the globe, a certain Cristiano Ronaldo was quietly building a reputation to match that of his Brazilian namesake. He pulled on his own pair of Mercurial Vapors to thump home his first ever Man Utd goal, serving notice that giving him a free kick on the edge of the box is like chalking up a free United goal on the scoreboard. It didn’t take long for opposition defences to sit up and take note.

Check back soon to see how Cristiano is about to carry the Mercurial mantle into new territory with a record-breaking boot.

The Superfly Lands

gareth.nettl — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:04:37 GMT

The Mercurial Superfly is the lightest, fastest boot Nike has ever made…and it’s about to hit the ground running.

So, how do you celebrate the launch of a boot that has been stripped down to an unbelievable 185g using revolutionary Flywire technology? You give it to the fastest deadliest players in the world. And then you sit back and enjoy the carnage.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibahimovic will wear the Mercurial Superfly for the first time on March 11th for the European showdown between Manchester United and Inter Milan.

Wth debut goals in both his Mercurial Vapor IV and Mercurial SL boots, the world will be watching the clock to see how long it takes CR7 to hit the scoresheet with his latest weapon.

Don’t blink.

C. Ronaldo is FIFA World Player Of The Year

DonJulio — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:40:31 GMT

See what the rest of the world thinks.

Cristiano Ronaldo Wins 2008 Ballon d'Or

gareth.nettl — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:28:54 GMT

96 Journalists from around the world voted and, love him or hate him, CR7 is the man to beat.

Be invincible with NikePro

gareth.nettl — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:26:45 GMT

Many things make Cristiano Ronaldo an exceptional player. But one thing makes him invincible.

Nike Pro is the ultimate range of first-layer clothing for world-class athletes to wear into battle. It reduces muscle fatigue, pulls moisture away from the skin and makes you feel invincible

And, as one Old Trafford legend discovered, Nike Pro can have dramatic results.

Customise yours.
Get it at NikeStore.

Next Level: Behind the scenes

gareth.nettl — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:25:11 GMT

You’ve seen the TV ad as it followed the evolution of a non-league player into a European star. Now watch the banter flow behind the scenes as the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder give their advice on how to make next season your best.

Merc SL on sale – better move fast

gareth.nettl — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:18:35 GMT

Remember that damp night in Moscow? The first and only time this amazing Mercurial Vapor SL concept boot hit the turf?

When Cristiano Ronaldo netted his crucial goal that night, there wasn’t a sports store in the world stocking the boot that helped bring the European crown back to Old Trafford.

Now all that’s changed.

The ultimate concept boot has finally made it out of the lab and onto the shelves of NikeStore. And with only 2000 pairs up for sale in Europe, the only thing shifting quicker than the boxes off the shelf will be the lucky feet that finally get to wear them.

The tills start ringing on 15th August. Get your order in quick, or you won’t see ‘em for dust.

The Director's Cut

nike_gb — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:33:26 GMT

The director has indicated there will be one minute of time added on.

Watch the Director's cut here. More players, more action, more wish-I was-that-guy. Recut, remixed and rewired by Guy Ritchie. Take it to the next level.