A HISTORY OF INNOVATION
Since 1971, Nike has played a part in the football boots game, and from 1994 and forward, the Swoosh has been on the forefront of innovation with countless new, crazy technologies that changed the industry, getting their boots on legends of the game such as R9, Ronaldinho, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and many more. Let us take a trip down Memory Lane and look at some of the most important Nike football innovations.
The Nike - 1971
Innovation: The first Nike boot
In 1971, when Nike were called Blue Ribbon Sport, they launched 'The Nike', which was built in Mexico and introduced the Swoosh on a football product for the first time ever.
Nike Air Rio Zoom - 1996
Innovation: First Zoom Air unit in football boots
Nike brought their revolutionary Zoom Air pods to football in 1996 to provide better cushioning and more energy return, but the technology didn't catch on immediately.
Nike Mercurial R9 - 1998
Innovation: KNG100 upper, speed traction plate
In late 1997, Nike released the Mercurial R9, which introduced KNG-100, the World's first synthetic leather upper, as well as a speed-oriented tooling engineered to match Ronaldo's blistering pace.
Nike Mercurial Vapor I - 2002
Innovation: NikeSKIN one-piece upper, weight
For the 2002 World Cup, Nike gave the world the Mercurial Vapor which was built as a track spike for the pitch. Every gram was closely considered, and Nike made a new last to bring the boot as close to the foot as possible. They also made a one-piece upper, the NikeSKIN, to give an almost barefoot like sensation plus a PEBAX plate with an even more aggressive stud shape - and weighing just 190g it was something no one had ever seen before.
T90 Laser - 2007
Innovation: Rubber Surface
After finding that 69% goals were scored with the instep, Nike created the shot shield with a bigger, cleaner striking surface to reduce the variables when shooting and a more powerful shot. Laser 1 also had a Teijin upper with the so called eVent mesh to prevent smelly feet, and weighed 232g.
Mercurial SL - 2008
Innovation: Carbon sole plate
In 2006, new Nike CEO Mark Parker challenged the football team to make a boot without design or financial limitations. The Mercurial SL was made almost entirely out of carbon fibre, and introduced the responsiveness of a carbon fibre tooling.
Superfly I - 2009
Innovation: KNG100 upper, speed traction plate
In 2009, Nike introduced the first Mercurial Superfly, which featured a carbon fibre tooling, a super thin Teijin upper and Nike's latest innovation, Flywire, which were tiny vectran threads creating lightweight stability through a hang bridge like construction to keep weight and bulk to a minimum.
Mercurial Superfly II - 2010
Innovation: Sense Studs
Nike went above and beyond again in 2010 with the introduction of the Nike Sense stud, a construction which allowed one of the front studs to move a bit when pressure was applied during acceleration, thus offering - on paper, at least - better traction.
Green Speed - 2012
Innovation: First green boot
Nike's next big innovation came in 2012 with the Green Speed, which was made with renewable and recycled materials such as castor beans, creating NIke's lightest boots ever at the time.
Mercurial Vapor VIII, Legend 4, T90 Laser IV - 2012
Innovation: All Conditions Control
Nike decided to take on Mother Nature with the introduction of ACC - All Conditions Control, in 2012, which was an upper treatment designed to offer a consistent touch no matter the weather.
Hypervenom 1 - 2013
Innovation: NikeSKIN
After many years with T90 Laser and striking elements, Nike reinvented themselves with Hypervenom, introducing a mesh-based NikeSKIN upper for a super sharp, very barefoot-like feel on the ball and a more agile tooling.
Magista Obra - 2014
Innovation: Dynamic Fit Collar
In 2014, Nike introduced the world to one of their most important innovations - Flyknit. Nike had the ability to knit the entire upper, launching the Magista Obra 1 and Superfly IV with fully knitted uppers, ACC and a high sock-like Dynamic Fit Collar.
Hypervenom Phantom 1 Transform - 2015
Innovation: Heat sensitivity
For its last colourway, Nike made a heat-sensitive upper on the Hypervenom Phantom 1, making the upper transform from plain black to orange once activated by heat from the foot.
Superfly 4, Tiempo Legend 5, Hypervenom Phantom 2, Magista Obra 1 - 2015
Innovation: Tech Craft
In 2015, Nike fused their finest, untreated Alegria leather with their elite boots, offering the touch, comfort and elegance of leather with their normal performance benefits on both Mercurial, Magista, Tiempo and Hypervenom.
Hypervenom Phantom 2, Magista Obra II, Tiempo Legend 6 - 2016
Innovation: Anti Clog
After years of rigorous testing, Nike launched Anti Clog on the market in 2016, which was an outsole technology with a unique coating, making the outsole lubricious once activated by water and causing mud to slide off the boot instead of clogging up the sole for much better traction and less weight.
Vapor 11 + Superfly 5 - 2016
Innovation: Anatomical outsole
The Mercurial Vapor 11 and Superfly V introduced the anatomical outsole in 2016, which was shaped after the natural curves of the footbed, allowing the player to sink into the boot and feel more at one with the tooling.
Flyknit Ultra - 2017
Innovation: Flyknit
In 2017, Nike offered a glimpse into the future of knit with the Flyknit Ultra, which introduced an upper with individually coated yarns instead of a traditional knitted upper, coated with a thin layer of silicone.
Phantom VSN - 2018
Innovation: Ghost Laces og Quadfit mesh
2018 saw the release of the Nike Phantom VSN, which introduced Quadfit mesh which offered soft, flexible fibres with normal movement, but which hardened up like a seat belt when aggressive forces were applied during turns and accelerations. Also, it introduced Ghost Laces, a knitted lace cover to clean up the striking surface.
Mercurial Vapor 13 - 2019
Innovation: High tenacity yarns
In 2019, Nike continued the learnings from Quadfit, and brought us a knitted upper with a mix of Flyknit yarns and high tenacity yarns, which ensured a soft, flexible fit, but which also offered strength and stability to keep the foot in place during aggressive movements.
Phantom GT - 2020
Innovation: Generative Texture
The Nike Phantom GT introduced the so-called Generative Texture in 2020, which was a textured pattern design by a computer software that created specific sizes and angles of every single textured bump to create specific zones for different types of touches, passes and shots.
Mercurial Air Zoom - 2022
Innovation: Re-worked, full-length Air unit
First revealed in 2020 as a concept boot, Nike finally launched the Air Zoom Ultra in 2022 with a full-length Zoom Air unit in the outsole, taken from the KD12 basketball shoes.
Phantom GX - 2022
Innovation: Grip Knit
After fine-tuning their individually coated yarns for 5 years, Nike introduced Gripknit on the Phantom GX, which built on the technology seen on Flyknit Ultra for a super soft yet very grippy, knitted material on the forefoot.
Mercurial XXV - 2023
25th anniversary boot
Celebrating 25 years of speed, the Nike Mercurial XXV looks both to the past and the future and many more innovations to come.