They released plenty of editions afterwards, many of which were impressive in their own right, but there’s an argument to be made that adidas should have discontinued the Predator range after the Mania because they were never going to top this.įunctionally, it was as good as you’d expect from a Predator, but the vast majority of its legions of fans would freely admit that when it comes to the Mania, it’s all about style over substance. To borrow a tagline used elsewhere often copied, never equalled. If you don’t get a good year or even more out of a pair of them then you’re very unlucky.Īesthetically, even though there’s nothing particularly special about the boot, the white tongue (which often causes all manner of difficulty for players wearing it) had made it stand out for years and the best thing is, especially with the Mundial, it gets better with age when a more worn look takes hold. When a football boot is still one of the most sought-after and pricey boot on the market nearly 40 years after it was originally released, you know it must be something special.Īnd the World Cup and its moulded-stud equivalent, the Copa Mundial, is something special.įrom a performance point of view, the World Cup is extremely comfortable and thanks to the kangaroo leather, it’s ultra-durable too. Not only is the Accelerator one of the coolest boots of all time, it starred in undoubtedly the coolest football boot advert of all time prior to the 1998 World Cup.Ĭlip via imDAZEDandCONFUSED 2. The grooves on the instep were still very much an outstanding feature of Predator boots at the time, but because of the size of the Adidas logo and the prominent red tongue, they didn’t stand out as much they did on earlier versions. No doubt the current Atletico Madrid manager will put that down to the incredible power they could supposedly generate.Ī lot of Adidas fans would have this boot as their number one and I can’t really blame them. My outstanding memory of the Predator Accelerator is of David Beckham’s foot lightly brushing against the calf of Diego Simeone, causing him to collapse like a house of cards. As you might have guessed from my selections so far, I wouldn’t necessarily be one of them, but it would be grossly unfair to discount a long-running and very popular range of boot based on that logic.Īs is often the case, the original turned out to be the best and the first f50 boot, with a lightweight feel, slick stripe at the back and a range of attractive colour combinations, deservedly got plenty of kudos when worn by some of the world’s best players at Euro 2004. It’s fair to say that the f50 boot suited a certain type of player with a certain taste. No way would this look out of place four decades on. We’ll come to the greatest plain boot of all a little bit later, but in the 1970s, Franz Beckenbauer wore a collection of simple Adidas designs that were as easy on the eye as his playing style. Just think for example, of the Umbro Speciali, the Puma King or the Nike Tiempo lovely boots all. adidas Beckenbauer Super (1978)įor some football boot lovers, nothing beats a plain pair of black boots with a prominent display of the brand’s logo. The aesthetic improvements only add to the appeal of a boot that is as comfortable on your foot as a pair of slippers stuffed with marshmallows. The lime green and black colour scheme of the original Ace boot took a while to get accustomed to, but subsequent versions with alternative combinations of colours have worked a treat.
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