Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte switched into a blackout edition of a next-generation adidas football boot on Tuesday as his side trained ahead of their Champions League Last 16 Second Leg against Basel on Wednesday night.
So, what is it? Well, let's see. Laporte has been wearing the X 17+ silo all season. In May 2018 the current X generation will be one year old. It's pretty safe to assume that the blackout silhouette we're looking at here is the next generation of adidas speed boots. Not only that, the sleek make-up of the design looks far more streamline than the current X silo, along with a number of other distinctive tech upgrades. A dramatic shift in design, indeed.
Oh yeah, and it's laceless. That's pretty obvious to see. The blackout adidas X 18+ worn by Laporte is likely to be launched towards the end of May this year, ahead of the 2018 Champions League Final in Kiev, before appearing on the feet of all contracted adidas speed players throughout the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Tech wise we're looking at a clean one-piece mesh/synthetic upper that arrives as a new technology for adidas, which extends across the traditional laced area to harness the foot. Laporte is wearing a lo-cut edition of the upcoming boot, which is also expected to be released in a laced version. As of yet adidas haven't provided any of their players with a mid-collared edition, so we can expect Laporte's edition to be top level. But for now at least, adidas are keeping their cards close to their chest.
Stay tuned for more on the next-generation adidas X 18+ football boot as adidas continue to roll out their 2018 World Cup squad...
