Do you know the 1st Mercurial was actually inspired by a track spike? Initially known as Tiempo Ultra Light, and the Ronaldo Ultra Speed, the Nike Mercurial was an answer to Ronaldo’s (R9) need. Arguably the first ever “speed” boot that was made thanks to the influence from R9, the Mercurial evolved to being the lightest boots from it’s predecessor Tiempo. The Mercurial made an impact in blue and yellow on Ronaldo’s feet on football’s biggest stage in the summer of 1998 during the World Cup in France.
2000: Nike Match Mercurial
The Nike Match Mercurial continued for it’s well known lightweight boots where it only weighed 230 grams; a strong testament that Mercurial was evolving to be lighter weight year by year. Realize it or not, there’s 5 dots at the heel of the boots where it represents 5 phenomenal football boots experimented by Nike for it’s players; which are:
And YES, Air Zoom (well known in Nike Running shoes) were incorporated in the Mercurial boots! A bold statement by Nike that fast could get even faster.
2004: Nike Mercurial Vapor II
From one Ronaldo (R9) to another Ronaldo (CR7), this boots saw both Ronaldo donning the boots and bossing the game. Then teen CR7 being noticed by his fancy footwork wearing this boots as it’s given an aesthetic upgrade of being slique and an enlarged heel tab for extra ankle cushioning.
2006: Nike Mercurial Vapor III
The most liked and famous Mercurial edition ever, the Vapor III introduced the Teijin Microfiber on the upper that retains the same function of being a speed boots as well as giving an elastic upper for more flexibility.
Cristiano Ronaldo wore a bold Cactus colorway meanwhile the Brasilian Ronaldo celebrated his all-time tournament scoring record in 2006 with a limited-edition version of the Mercurial Vapor III R9, and signaled a decade of Mercurial speed with a 10th anniversary edition (released in 2007) that brought the distinctive color scheme of the original Mercurial to the carbon fiber-aided Mercurial Vapor III platform.
2008: Nike Mercurial Vapor IV
The new look of the Teijin upper now covers the laces, for more clean surface for shooting as well as giving more visibility to the swoosh. The soleplate is given a construction of glass fiber, for a durable and lightweight boots. The boots that had a strong shoes to fill in (no pun intended) after it was compared with the likes of Mercurial Vapor SL.
2009: Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly
What’s next? It’s the introduction of “Superfly” series where it has the cutting edge of a track spikes with the addition of Nike Flywire system (midfoot support) and carbon fiber soleplate for lightweight and durability.
The idea of it being ‘Superfy” is the obsession behind pushing the boots to be lighter and faster than ever, this became a silo by itself and often rated as an elite version of a Vapor. In addition to it, (RED) lace was used (pictured above) as part of the fight against AIDS campaign that was launched through the lens of sports by Nike.
2010: Nike Mercurial Superfly II
As the game has been evolving to become faster, the speed boot has now revolutionized to have a protruding front studs as the player accelerates for better traction on ground thanks to the inspiration from cheetah. Introduced for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, the Superfly II was given an elite series upgrade that was achieved through the carbon fiber soleplate and also an the violet/orange heel tab for increased visibility on pitch.
Pictured above is the CR7 version of the Supefly II which was an inspiration drawn from the safari print and bold orange swoosh for more visibility. Just as the player himself wants it!
2011: Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly III
Focused on eliminating the small stumbles and slips that can be exploited by the opposition, the third incarnation of the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly III aimed to maximize a player’s every chance on pitch. Toe-off traction reduced the risk of slipping, while a tri-blade configuration maximized speed during directional changes.
The bold colour placement focused on the rear side of the boots gives a bold statement of players wanting to stand out on pitch wearing the boots, and it goes well with the heritage of the boots. In pictured above, the Superfly III was given a CR7 personalization to commemorate his excellence in front of the goal.
2012: Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII
The year of Euro 2012, why not have a new boots? Hence the introduction of Vapor VIII and well known for its soft teijin upper that gives the sensation of a suede upper. Also not forgetting the new construction of the studs, the boots were made to provide right amount of traction and balance to the player.
For the Euro 2012, Nike came out with the clash collection where the Vapor was given a nice little pink colour on the heel for its boldness for the best players in the world.
2013: Nike Mercurial Vapor IX
The boots that had 2 colourways during for it’s launch, the Fireberry was given to senior players (CR7, Ibrahimovic, etc) while the Sunset colourway was given to young players such as (Theo Walcott, Christian Eriksson, etc).
Nike take a new approach to the Vapor range by redesigning the upper and materials used, with a speed-controlled, dimple textured upper offering a pretty unique visual effect.
2013: Nike Mercurial Superfly IV
Call it a slingshot for the foot. Born from years of R&D in the Nike Explore Team Sport Research Lab, the Superfly IV was designed for the player who is always a step ahead of his marker and the game of football itself.
Nike Flyknit technology drives the boot’s revolutionary design.with high collar for more form fitting and allows player’s feet to move as one unit. Since its debut, Mercurial boots have been synonymous with speed. With the Mercurial Superfly IV, speed has evolved with the game of football. Just as matches have become faster and more intense, the boot is engineered to react quicker. The Superfly IV is the ultimate articulation of the Mercurial vision to date.
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