Nikefootball Europe English

Asia tour:10R

ryangriffin — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:34:56 GMT

Ronaldinho is truly a once-in-a-generation talent. He possesses a rare mix of speed and technique, resulting in defense-smashing runs and stunning free kicks that can silence a stadium full of 80,000 opposing fans.

Before joining mighty AC Milan this season, 10R went on a tour of Japan, China, and South Korea. See how his deadly combination of tenacity and skill sends his adoring fans into a football frenzy.

Boot design competition closed

julien.derosee — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:16:01 GMT

When Nike asked you to design match boots for the likes of Carlos Tevez, Cesc Fabregas, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Rio Ferdinand and William Gallas, you sure knew how to respond.

More than 15,000 designs later, the cream of the crop have been submitted for some of the Premiership’s biggest stars to choose from when Arsenal and Man Utd line up to face each other on 8 November.

Better keep an eye on your email – if your design gets picked, we’ll be in touch to invite you and a friend to spend match day at the Emirates, where you’ll see the boots you designed in action. And did we mention that you’ll get a pair signed by the player that chose them?

In the meantime, stay tuned to the Nike Football blog to catch a glimpse of the winning entries, or visit Nike iD to design your very own custom boots, and walk away in style.

Start designing

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.

Hit the BootRoom

ryangriffin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:51:06 GMT

If Fabio Cannavaro says ‘My boot is an extension of myself’, you know it’s worth dropping into the new BootRoom at London Oxford Street’s NikeTown to design personalised footwear to match every aspect of your game.

Get measured for the right width fitting, pick a sole plate to match your surface, then select your material, colour and embroider your unique iD.

Presto. A pair of boots made just for you – because they were created by you.

Want to give your whole team the edge? Drop by for a session on the Digital Team Builder and design anything from a 3-a-side kit to full squad apparel, right down to the cut of the cloth, your club crest and sponsor.

Because every player is different. And every one deserves the best.

Become Legends

ryangriffin — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:14:42 GMT

The 2008/9 season will be the 20th anniversary of the famous night at Anfield when Arsenal went to Liverpool, on the last day of the season, needing to win 2-0 to snatch the title. Liverpool seemed destined to succeed, but against all the odds, Arsenal won the league. This season's new away kit commemorates this and challenges the new Arsenal squad to step up and become legends.

On www.becomelegends.com hear legends from the 1989 winning side Michael Thomas, Paul Merson, Steve Bould, Alan Smith meeting with the current squad Fabregas, Walcott, Adebayor, Van Persie, Gallas, Almunia and Toure to share the spirit and inspiration that is needed to ‘Become Legends’.

Download images of the legends and current squad and relive the drama and tension as described by those that were there on the famous night at Anfield. Also, listen to the opinions of the legends on the talent and potential of the current squad, as well as their aspirations for the forthcoming season.

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.

The Mercurial SL

ryangriffin — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:00:23 GMT

In 2004 our engineers and designers set out to create a “concept boot” that would change the way football boots would be built forever. To do so, we removed every boundary that typically influences a boot’s development, including time, budget and materials.

The result was the Mercurial SL, a 185g carbon fiber boot - the perfect expression of lightness and speed.

In November, we asked the world’s fastest man to take them for a test spin.

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.

Next Level Accuracy

akqa — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:54:51 GMT

Power means nothing without accuracy. Anyone can kick the ball into the stands at terminal velocity, but only the very best can consistently make the stanchion clang like it’s been hit with a guided missile. As the design and research teams behind the new Nike T90 Laser II boot can testify, no one guides that missile better than Wayne Rooney.

According to Nike Innovation Lead Brian Baker, ‘Rooney has always been the embodiment of the T90 identity… so we brought him to Nike headquarters very early on for some extensive testing and trialling. And we feel this boot is a great personification of his attitude and personality.’ Inspired by the striker’s ‘tenacity and relentless fighting spirit,’ the newest incarnation of his weapon of choice is the product of two years of painstaking research, exhaustive testing and the input of a world–class athlete. All these elements have helped turn the Laser II from the Nike designers’ original sketches into what it is today: the most accurate football boot Nike has ever made.

We’ve all seen Rooney put it where he wants it. In technical terms, the T90’s newly increased sweet spot and V-twin lacing make for consistent ball-to-boot contact. In reality, this translates into one thing: ball distribution that can be measured in blades of grass, not metres.

The T90’s eVent membrane and newly engineered outsole could have been designed specifically for Rooney’s natural habitat – the legendarily damp Mancunian outdoors. Even when sheets of rain are lashing down, the feet inside a pair of Laser IIs are able to breathe whilst staying dry. Bladed studs offer traction and comfort, whatever the elements do to unsettle your game. And yes, football hurts – but not as much as it used to. The Laser II’s reinforced outsole helps support and stabilise the standing leg, making sure that planting your feet at extreme angles and speeds doesn’t mean a loss of accuracy.

A Death Adder’s markings tell you exactly what to expect. As Designer Morgan Stauffer explains, the ‘dark, ominous and sinister’ aesthetic of the new T90 Laser II is punctuated by flashes of colour, likewise warning potential prey that they should prepare to be bitten. Stauffer confirms that the Laser II design ‘was driven by the idea of creating brass knuckles for your feet.’ Like Rooney himself, Stauffer continues, ‘we wanted them to be tough with true grit.’

Newly tooled-up strikers like Rooney and Fernando Torres might be hitting the net like a trawlerman’s catch, but midfield generals Torsten Frings, Gennaro Gattuso and Owen Hargreaves are also kitting up for conflict in the new T90s. While centre backs Carlos Puyol, Rio Ferdinand and Fabio Cannavaro are spreading Laser-guided passes the length of the pitch, even shotstoppers like Paul Robinson are making devastating use of the T90 from their own penalty box.

The guys in the lab have done their bit. Now let’s see what you’ve got.

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.

The T90 Omni Ball

akqa — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:43:17 GMT

The revolutionary T90 Omni Ball provides a 360-degree sweet spot, increased visibility and cutting-edge panel architecture, there’s never been a more consistently accurate Nike ball.

Pato On Point

akqa — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:38:58 GMT

Every Brazilian from the time they pop into the world dreams of scoring for the national team.

Well, on Wednesday, March 26, Pato's dream became a reality. The 18-year-old striker laced up his orange Vapors before the match as a Serie A star. He unlaced them afterward as an international superstar.

Pato's killer instincts earned him a goal on his debut for the full senior side. And, what a goal it was. The stunning strike won the game for Brazil and certainly won over his coach, Dunga, who had some glowing words for his young forward.

"He knows how to score a goal," said Dunga. "Pato is in the style of Ronaldo."

Dunga will now be hard pressed to keep this new phenomenon out of his starting eleven, as Brazil prepare for some tough World Cup qualifiers this summer.

But with speed, skill and an assassin's eye for goal, why would he want to?

The Next Brilliant Brazilian

mickey_pickles — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:45:06 GMT

Young and ruthless? Check. Immense talent? Check. Natural scoring instincts? Check. Enough confidence to start for one of Europe's top clubs? Check. An elite boot for an elite player? Check.

Alexandre Pato is the new Brazilian striker on the block. He represents the next generation of speed, which his blazing orange Mercs testify to every time he steps onto the pitch. His name may not start with an "R," like his childhood heroes - Robinho, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho - but after honing his craft in Porto Alegre, Brazil, the young upstart exploded onto the international scene at this summer's U-20 Youth Cup in Canada. Shortly after, he signed with Milan and took to the field for the Rossoneri almost as soon as he turned eighteen.

A lot of clubs pursued his services and offered huge contracts, but only one had "the true Phenomenon" as a mentor. As fate would have it, the two strikers trained together for less than a month, because of Ronaldo's injury. It wasn't a long time, but fortunately just enough to ensure that Pato got off on the right foot.

In his very first match he scored in a 5-2 win over Napoli (Ronaldo had two himself) and went on to put in three more goals in the next five games. Now the comparisons to some of soccer's greatest scorers are coming in from all angles - club and country.

It's pretty easy to stay up on Pato news online, and you'll definitely want to with all the Serie A games coming up and the CL second-leg against Arsenal. This is probably the most devoted blog in English, and there's a host of Youtube videos to browse.

Keep up. This duck has only just begun to take flight.