Neymar recently attended the premier of the new ‘The Batman’ film in France, rubbing shoulders with the new Dark Knight and Catwoman, Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz. But while there he also took the opportunity to show off a first glimpse of the upcoming next generation PUMA x Batman Future Z 1.3.
It’s no secret that Neymar is a huge Batman fan. The dual image of him half as the Joker and half as the Dark Knight can be seen hanging on the wall in his home in the Brazilian’s Netflix documentary, and he has often sighted the two characters as representations of his character, as perceived by the public. So the news that his brand, PUMA, were linking up with DC Comics and specifically Batman would have been music to the PSG man’s ears.
The upcoming collaboration was first announced back in October 2021, hot on the heels of the movie’s new trailer. At the time Neymar said: “Hey DC fans. I’m really excited for the new Batman movie. I’ve always been a big fan happy to be a part of this event, thank you for everything. Very excited. I hope the Batman legacy will be long that there will be much more coming. Ciao PUMA, Batman, we are together.”
So, as well as getting to check out the new Batmobile, the premier of ‘The Batman’ proved to be the perfect stage for Neymar to unveil the next generation Future Z from the upcoming PUMA x Batman collection. The boot sees a dark base with the new interpretation of the Batman logo sitting on the tongue and heel.
As for tech upgrades, there's not a lot known at this stage, but pros such as James Maddison and Neymar himself have already been spotted testing them out. The 'Z' soleplate of the boot's current name is still present, but the FUZIONFIT compression band normally present in the mid foot looks to have been altered drastically, with internal wires being used for added security. The addition of a raised texture in the forefoot looks likely to assist with grip and control on the ball.
It’s rumoured that the Future Z will arrive alongside an Ultra (although there’s been no sign of this yet) and a huge set of sneakers, including the PUMA Suede, Fierce 2, RS-X, Mayze and two Court Riders, as well as a full range of apparel, all given the Gotham City treatment.
Of course, this is not the first time that the Batman has made his way into the world of football, with a similar move being pulled by Under Armour for the release of the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie back in 2016. Big difference with that one though was that it had no proper on-pitch representation, whereas this time round you imagine Neymar will definitely be wearing the Future Z in upcoming matches.
No news on an official drop date for the PUMA x Batman collection just yet, but can't be far away with The Batman arriving at cinemas from 4 March.
