Messi vs Ronaldo: Signature Boot Face-Off
They are the best players in the world, with one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport - a rivalry that has become just as corporately driven as anything else. Nike and adidas continue to fuel the fire between the two most marketable athletes in football, and this year is going to be bigger than ever.
Round one of the 2013 footwear battle is well underway. Nike's latest release of the CR Mercurial Vapor IX has given us our first true Messi vs Ronaldo football boot face-off. Messi has had signature shoes from adidas before, but nothing as commercially backed as this boot. Their rivalry in the footwear department has never been this exciting!
For years, signature boots has been Nike and CR's territory. But now adidas are finally ready to offer a challenge. These two boots represent the first time Nike and adidas have really pipped their star athletes against each other. Both boots released at similar times and both boots given the highest levels of exposure.
So which one will come out on top? Already, Messi has been tearing teams in half wearing his boots - he scored three goals in the boots opening two games. Ronaldo hasn't tasted his latest Mercurial design yet, but with Real Madrid still involved in the Champions League, you can bet his rainbow coloured boots will make the back pages. 
For years, the Nike Mercurial and adidas f50 adizero have gone head-to-head as football's hottest boots. Now they're up against each other with the rivalry going one step further. Of course it's all a bit of fun, but we love it. And if our boot calendar is anything to go by, we can expect to see more CR and Messi boots going up against each other this year.
To see our full feature on the new Nike CR Mercurial Vapor IX football boots click here. Let us know which gets your vote!
