Nike
today unveiled its latest football performance innovation — the Nike Hypervenom
— at an event in Rio de Janeiro with Brasil striker Neymar.
The
Hypervenom is a completely new boot created with feedback from top players
including Neymar, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. These players specified
the need for a boot that could help them create space quickly in and around the
penalty area, and get their shot off from any angle. They discussed the
increased agility of opponents, referencing today’s defenders who are now as
quick, agile and skillful as many of the world’s best forwards.
Brasil
striker Neymar was most direct in his feedback: “Help me make space more often
and more quickly. I want a boot that helps enhance my agility and gives me the
space to get my shot off before I’m closed down.”
“Neymar’s input was
invaluable. He had been wearing the Mercurial Vapor IX boot, a pure speed
product designed to help athletes look and find space to beat a man. The
Hypervenom focuses on creating the space in order to put the ball in the net.
It’s a small but important nuance,” said Phil McCartney, VP Nike Football,
Footwear.
NEW BOOT FOR CHANGING GAME
The
Nike Football design team, led by Nike Football Design Director Denis Dekovic,
began by looking at the attacking forces in today’s game. “The game is
changing. It used to be that speed was the focus of the attacking side of the
game, but now everybody has pace,” Dekovic said. “The Nike Hypervenom is a
response to the way the game is changing. Players want to be quicker, not just
in a foot race, but quicker with the ball at their feet in small spaces. They
want to create chances from nothing. These faster, more agile defenders need to
be combatted and the Hypervenom is designed to do exactly that.”
REVOLUTIONARY
NIKESKIN UPPER
The
design team knew that the product had to re-examine the way boots were being
created.
“Traditionally a new
boot will focus on an evolution of the fit, the upper material or the sole
plate and stud configuration. The Hypervenom features new solutions for all of
these areas,” said McCartney.
The
Hypervenom’s upper is created using the new NIKESKIN system. This execution of
NIKESKIN features a soft, supple mesh bound with a thin polyurethane film, and
is finished off with Nike All Conditions Control technology (ACC) to provide the
same level of foot-to-ball control in both wet and dry conditions.
“Mesh
delivers an amazing level of comfort and feel. The athletes asked us to deliver
a boot that gets as close as possible to the feeling of playing barefoot,”
Dekovic said. “Mesh takes us a step closer to doing that and the All Conditions
Control finish keeps the mesh dry.”
PERFECTED LAST AND
OUTSOLE
The
Hypervenom also features a new foot last, removing excess materials to place
the foot closer to the ground and ball. It is Nike’s most anatomical last to
date.
Nike
worked with some of the world’s top podiatrists to create a decoupled outsole
that increases the player’s ability to make that important first step away from
the defender. A groove in the forefoot helps to quickly activate the first
metatarsal, the bone that defines reaction time of the foot’s first movement.
The
chassis of the outsole features compressed nylon for a high-response plate that
helps deliver strength while being incredibly light. The stud configuration and
length is designed to allow for faster penetration of the surface, and
ultimately a quicker release – all innovations designed to help players create
space faster than ever before.
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Nike had the far sighted vision to focus on not just football but also, fashion. Nike Mercurial was available in not just black, but a choice of colours, a novelty at the time.