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Next Level: Behind the scenes

ryangriffin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:51:38 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

ryangriffin — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:59:56 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 Manchester Three

ryangriffin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:38:46 GMT

Blistering pace. No-look passing. Sledgehammer shooting. Imagine defending for ninety minutes against one of the best strikers on earth.

Now multiply that by three.

Welcome to the world of the defenders tasked with keeping Manchester United’s striking trio of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez at bay.

And if you thought a strikeforce made up of Portugese, Argentinian and British players would be hampered by communication problems, think again. The threesome’s telepathic link up play produced well over seventy goals last season.

As Wayne Rooney explains, their different cultural backgrounds mean nothing on the pitch. When it comes to football, all three players speak exactly the same language.

A European hat-trick is Next Level

akqa — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:54:19 GMT

1968. 1999. And now 2008.

After 120 minutes of pulsating football, two goals, and a nail-biting penalty shoot-out, Manchester United completed a hat-trick of European titles in Moscow last night – and simultaneously clinched a spectacular double, with their second major trophy in ten days.

Man of the moment Cristiano Ronaldo made an early contribution to the drama, marking the competitive debut of his superlight ~~p-2077~~ boots with a towering header. The strike took his tally to 42 for the season and eight in the Champions League, securing the competition’s golden boot award.

But for all the inspired individual performances in a red shirt, it was United’s tireless teamwork that ultimately brought home the prize. Only three players from Sir Alex’s 1999 squad made it back for the 2008 final, proving the legendary Scot’s ability to build a second team of champions from scratch – and cementing United’s place in the pantheon of Europe’s greatest clubs.

Because a hat-trick of European titles is next level.

The Need for Speed

ryangriffin — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:38:44 GMT

When you're playing at the very highest level, a split second can be the difference between European glory and heroic failure. That's why Man.Utd's irrepressible number 7 and Chelsea's top target man will take the field in Moscow on Wednesday night wearing the limited edition Mercurial SL concept boot.

Ten years ago, the original Mercurial Vapor was designed specifically to enhance the superfast skllls of Ronaldo – the Brazilian superstar known as The Phenomenon. A decade after the wonder boot was first introduced to the world, its latest and lightest incarnation is gracing the European stage on the feet of two more striking phenomomena – Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano has already taken the --p-1990-- that Didier won last year. Now two of the hottest strikers in Europe are going toe-to-toe once again, as they debut the lightest, fastest, most flexible boot there is.

The gloves are off and the boots are on. The Mercurial SL revolution starts tomorrow night, and Europe’s biggest club prize awaits.

Super Light. Super Strong. Supersonic

ryangriffin — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:52:27 GMT

Back in 2004, the brief given to designers and engineers at Nike HQ was simple: stop at nothing to innovate the fastest football boot the world has ever seen.

Four years later, the 100% carbon fibre Mercurial SL concept boot makes its debut on Europe’s biggest footballing stage. And if it’s good enough for the fastest man on earth you know it’s the right shoe to take one of the quickest players around to the next level. That’s why 190 grams of pure pace will be gracing the feet of Cristiano Ronaldo in Moscow on Wednesday night.

A carbon fibre plate, engineered in Germany. An injection moulded outsole from South Korea. A carbon fibre upper, hand-moulded in Italy. No corner was cut in the making of this boot. 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.

You won’t see this shoe on the shelves of your local sports shop. Watch from the stands and it’ll look like a blur on the feet of the world’s fastest players. But step frame by frame through the action on Wednesday night, and you might just catch a fleeting glimpse as the winning goal is fired home.

7 in 7 is Next Level

ryangriffin — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:44:31 GMT

Two seasons ago, Cristiano Ronaldo was an out-and-out winger who contributed seven goals to Man. Utd’s Premiership campaign. After taking his 2007/8 tally to 31 with a coolly taken penalty against Wigan on Sunday, he has completed his transformation into the league’s hottest goalscorer – and wearer of the league’s hottest boot. For the seventh season on the bounce, the Premier League’s leading striker achieved the accolade wearing a pair of Nike Mercurial Vapors.

Since debuting his new Mercs with a sublime hat-trick against Newcastle back in January, it was never in doubt that Ronaldo would join the likes of Dider Drogba, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry in the Premiership predators’ Hall of Fame by the end of the season.

Right now there’s just no way of stopping a complete goalscorer who's as comfortable firing in left-footed thunderbolts as burying headers like bullets. You can try putting up a wall, but it won’t make a whole lot of difference whether he chooses to go over it or under it.

With 31 goals in 34 appearances (41 strikes across all competitions), it looks like there’s plenty more in the tank – especially with a Champions League final booked for 21st May, and a blockbuster summer of football on the way.

You can ask the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Franck Ribery, Robinho and Pato whether it’s the player that makes the boots or the boots that makes the player. Either way, one thing’s certain: seven straight Premiership scoring titles is next level.

Man On Fire

akqa — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:56:36 GMT

Cristiano Ronaldo is in ridiculous form. Everything the Man U winger touches seems to find its way into the back of the net. He’s gone beyond great, and has entered a realm that simply defies description. So why try?

The best free kick he had ever seen in the Premiership.

Ronaldo scored two stunning goals in the midweek game against Portsmouth to give his team the full three points, and top spot on the EPL table. With the two goals, CR7 upped his league-leading tally to 19 for the season. The second strike had Sir Alex beaming from ear to ear, as he said it was the best free-kick he had ever seen in the Premiership.

Since Ronaldo debuted his new Mercurial Vapor IVs on January 12, he has been absolutely en fuego. He has played four games with the new boots and has scored eight goals. He has now scored in five straight games for Man U. It’s gotta be the boots, money!

The man is truly on fire. And, he is now being compared to the best of the best.

The Challenge

akqa — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:56:36 GMT

How badly do you want to be a footballer?

Sign up for Nike Bootcamp.

Inside The Vapor IV

akqa — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:41:51 GMT

True innovation comes from true insight. And, for the research and design team behind one of the most innovative boots to ever grace the pitch, there's no truer insight than this: short ten-meter bursts of acceleration are the single most frequent action in football.

So, how can the Mercurial Vapor IV maximize acceleration? Well, that's what we intend to find out, as 365 takes you "Inside The Lab."

Come with us as we pull back the curtain to expose Nike's most elaborate and ground-breaking efforts in the department of SPEED.

"The research process on the Mercurial line, for me, is synonymous with research on speed," says Senior Nike Researcher, Erez Morag. "It was clear that the game is changing and becoming faster; therefore, the importance of speed has increased with those changes in the game."

It's no secret that lighter boots equal faster feet. So that's where Nike's football footwear team started. They deconstructed the art of speed and broke the Mercurial down into each of its separate components and analyzed every aspect of the cleat; if it could be paired down, it was.

An anatomically contoured speed test was developed to shave off some grams, while providing better fit and stability. A revolutionary new lightweight synthetic upper, called Teijin, was utilized to conform to every curve of the foot. And, topping it all off is the lace shroud, which aims to reduce drag, while providing a smooth playing surface.

One of the biggest boosts to acceleration is the use of an asymmetric traction system, which is designed to more fully align with the principles of foot structure and function. Also helping acceleration is a carbon fiber heel counter, which stabilizes the boot at high speeds, while pods strategically placed in the heel reduce unnecessary movement of the foot within the shoe.

Depending upon which color you choose, orange or black, either a carbon fiber or glass-fiber internal chassis gives the shoe tremendous structural strength.

"In the end, we wanted to create some of the lightest boots on the pitch," says Tom Minami, Nike Football Footwear Designer. "And, we wanted to provide the fastest players with a weapon that is technically advanced and aesthetically disruptive."

What the football footwear team created is the ultimate lightweight performance beast that eats up split-seconds and spits out goals.

And, speaking of goals, since the Mercurial Vapor IV made it's debut on January 12 the goals have been flowing. Here's a sample of the damage done by just a few of the athletes wearing the new boots: Mercurial Vapor Stats: Cristiano Ronaldo (19 goals), Pato (8), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (8), Didier Drogba (7), Franck Ribery (6), Robinho (4), Theo Walcott (2) and Nicklas Bendtner (2)

Christian Ronaldo has taken to the boots like gasoline to fire and scored 10 goals in his first 7 appearances and leading Manchester United's charge as they remain threats for the double.

At Nike, the story of innovation never rests, never stops and never looks back. Today the MVIV weighs in at 230 grams, and the featherweight Mercurial SL tips the scales at 185 grams. Tomorrow's Vapor V? Well, just keep checking back here, and you'll know as soon as we do.

Merc's Devastating Debut

akqa — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:03:09 GMT

The Nike Mercurial Vapor IV’s were unveiled across Europe’s top leagues on January 12 and the fastest boots on the pitch didn’t waste any time finding the back of the net. Cristiano sported the orange in Man United’s 6-0 drubbing of Newcastle, putting together a remarkable hat trick that reinforced his status as the Premiership’s #1 talent. His feet looked like they were on fire, but his behaviour in the box was cool and collected. The first goal – a sneaky free kick underneath the Toon’s jumping wall – was our favorite. It’s always better when it’s premeditated.

In Italy, Ibrahimovic laced up the orange too and found equally dynamic results, finishing a PK and setting up another Inter goal before blasting home an unreal strike for his second tally of the afternoon. Probably the best shot of the weekend.

Another striker to don the orange Mercurials this past weekend, was Brasil’s next wunderkind, Alexandre Pato. In his debut for Milan, Pato sped past the Napoli defense to latch on to a long through ball and then calmly slotted it past the keeper.

But refusing to be outdone by his fellow Milan striker, Ronaldo, took it back to the old school, as he tallied two strikes against Napoli, while sporting the classic Mercurial 98’s.

Ronaldo vs The Bugatti

akqa — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:20:37 GMT

One of the world’s fastest cars pitted against one of the world’s fastest footballers. The Bugatti Veyron vs Cristiano Ronaldo and Mercurial Vapor. Blistering pace meets its match.