As July becomes August, final pre-season friendlies across planet football have given us a wave of new colourways, brand switches and black-out boots as we count down the days to the new campaign. Get stuck in below and let us know if we’ve missed any in the comments.
Terence Kongolo (Monaco) Nike Mercurial Vapor XI Time To Shine
New Monaco signing and Swiss defender Terence Kongolo was spotted wearing a blacked out pair of Nike Mercurial Vapor XI boots during the club’s training session ahead of their Trophee des Champions match against PSG. Disguising the “Time To Shine” colourway originally launched in May, Kongolo then stepped out to face PSG wearing a modified pair of “Lock In Let Loose” Mercurial Superfly X boots with the Flyknit collar cut to a lower height.
Marco Verratti (PSG) Nike Hypervenom Phantom III
Nike have wrapped up one of their biggest summer signings in the shape of Marco Verratti. The PSG midfielder has swapped the Big Cat for the Swoosh ahead of his sixth season with the club, should he stay in the French capital. The Italian has been enjoying his pre-season wearing the “Lock In Let Loose” colourway of the Hypervenom Phantom III.
Jonathan Biabiany (FC Internazionale) Nike Mercurial Superfly V Air Max 90
FC Internazionale’s Jonathan Biabiany has been stepping out in the Nike Mercurial Superfly V Air Max 90 for this summer’s 2017 International Champions Cup in China. The Frenchman, who is going into his third season with the Italian club, has been a long term Superfly wearer, often wearing out of season colourways.
Neymar (Barcelona) Nike Mercurial Vapor XI Written In The Stars
His final Clásico? With a stunning move to PSG on the cards, last week’s Clásico in Miami could well have been Neymar’s last. The Brazilian, who’s subject to a £196million transfer, made his second appearance wearing his signature Mercurial Vapor XI “Written In The Stars” boots as Barcelona drew first blood against Real Madrid with a 3-2 win at Hard Rock Stadium.
Rony Lopes (Monaco) adidas Nemeziz 17.1 Dust Storm
Nemesis recruit and highly touted attacking midfielder Rony Lopes wasted no time in slipping into the new “Ocean Storm” colourway of the adidas Nemesis 17.1 as his side took on PSG in the Trophee des Champions match at the Grand Stade in Tangiers in Morocco.
Thomas Lemar (Monaco) adidas Nemeziz 17.1 Dust Storm
Making it a Nemeziz double for the French league champions, Monaco’s Thomas Lemar also sported the “Ocean Storm” colourway of the Nemeziz 17.1 during the Trophee des Champions match. As rumours continue to swirl about Lemar leaving for Arsenal, adidas will be hoping Lemar’s profile continues to rise.
Theo Walcott (Arsenal) adidas X 17+ Ocean Storm
Theo Walcott was one of a number of players who gave an early debut to the upcoming “Ocean Storm” colourway of the adidas X 17+ over the weekend across both days of The Emirates Cup. Showing that adidas are going for all out visibility for their speed silo ahead of the new season, the boots feature an electric green upper.
Danny Welbeck (Arsenal) adidas X 17+ Dust Storm
Danny Welbeck has swapped Swoosh for stripes ahead of the 2017/18 season, as adidas bolster their English crop of attacking players. The Arsenal forward had been wearing variations of the Nike Hypervenom III as recently as the 2017 International Champions Cup, but has seemingly ended his associations with Nike; the brand he’d been with since the start of his career.
Wayne Routledge (Swansea) adidas X 17.1 Ocean Storm
Giving us our first taste of leather on the adidas X 17.1 model, Wayne Routledge stepped out in the “Ocean Storm” colourway of the X 17.1 with a leather upper. After no leather edition was released for the “Dust Storm” colourway, there were suggestions that adidas had discontinued the boot. Routledge’s could be a player issue boot, but chances are we’ll be getting a leather option of the X 17.1 when the full “Ocean Storm” collection is released in early August.
Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United) adidas X 16.1 Leather Turbocharge
It’s still anyone’s guess which brand Romelu Lukaku will sign with going into the 2017/18 season. The Manchester United striker has worn the Hypervenom, Mercurial and X 16.1, X 17.1 and Nemeziz 17+ during his first pre-season with his new club. His latest appearance saw him lace up in the leather versions of the adidas X 16.1 as United took on Valerenga in Oslo.
Felix Götze (Bayern Munich) adidas X 16.1
Younger brother of Mario Götze, Felix Götze recently signed a professional contract at Bayern Munich until 2019. The 19-year-old centre-back has been part of Bayern’s pre-season squad and made an appearance in International Champions Cup against FC Internazionale wearing a blacked out version of the adidas X 16.1.
Nicolás Castillo (Pumas) Nike Mercurial Superfly V
Long time Mercurial fan and Pumas striker Nicolás Castillo laced up in his personalised pair of black out Mercurial Superfly boots with his number 30 etched onto the side. The Chilean goal scorer continues to impress for Pumas in Liga MX, often switching between his black out boots and the “Racer Pink/White/Black” colourway from Nike’s “Motion Blur” pack.
Lukas Podolski (Vissel Kobe) adidas F50 adiZero Samba
Lukas Podolski showing once more why he’s a fan favourite wherever he goes. The former German international stepped out for his J. League debut with Vissel Kobe wearing an old pair of adizero f50 boots bespoke with custom graphics of Kojiro Hyuga, a major character in the Captain Tsubasa series which is a popular football themed Japanese manga, animation and video game series.
