Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
Nike is finally giving us a first look at the new Air Zoom Mercurial, built from the ground up for the modern soccer player. There are several elements that make these extremely unique and different to the market including an articulated, three-quarter length Zoom airbag that sits directly inside of the plate of the boot. This helps to bring the foot closer to the ground for an even greater sense of snappy, propulsive energy return. The new Zoom airbag also features flex grooves that provide flexibility and natural movement of the foot to better fit the needs of dynamic movement in soccer.
These are the boots we saw Cristiano Ronaldo debut a few weeks ago.
The upper features a new evolution of Vaporposite. Called Vaporposite+, it combines a grip-enhancing chevron mesh with a Flyknit lining that helps with ball control at high speeds.
“While sprinting and cutting at high speeds, it’s important that the footballer feels secure in the boot. The Vaporposite+ upper was further refined to provide a lockdown fit through a data driven designed speed cage providing optimal support of the foot in areas where footballers need it most,” says Collin Eder, Senior Director of Global Football Footwear at Nike.
We also see another unique debut on the Air Zoom Mercurial: a Tri-Star stud pattern. The new stud design helps footballers move laterally as well as downhill for faster play in all directions. This stud pattern will be available on all models across Men’s, Women’s and Kids cleats.
Nike Air Zoom Mercurial will make its debut on pitch in the Bonded colorway during all women’s tournament play this summer. And we are hearing that July 1st will be the official date when pairs are available at retail.
What to Know
- Designed ahead of a landmark year for global competition, the Air Zoom Mercurial introduces a new three-quarter-length articulated Zoom Air bag built uniquely around the needs of the footballer.
- The newly designed Vaporposite+ upper features a Speed Cage design, a data-driven support system that offers lockdown support where footballers need it most.
- The Academy and Club models in this season’s Mercurial line are made with at least 20% recycled content by weight. Scaling sustainable materials is one way Nike moves toward its 2025 Impact targets.
