Turning the clock back to the early millennium for a deeply nostalgic regeneration, Nike has dropped the iconic Mercurial Vapor 1 in its original “Chrome/Lime” colourway, made famous on the feet of Ronaldo in 2002 as Brazil won the World Cup.
While other brands are quick to raid their archives for inspiration, bringing back classic designs from their past for a sure fire bit of success, Nike have always seemed less inclined to do so, often looking forward instead of back. The last time we got a rerelease from the Swoosh archive was five years ago in 2019 with the T90 Laser I. Now though, not only have we had hints at the return of the T90 III (in turf form at least), but we also get one of the crown jewels in the Swoosh repertoire with the Mercurial Vapor 1 'RGN'.
Over the four years since the 1998 World Cup and the explosive debut of the original Mercurial on the feet of young Ronaldo, Nike had gone about rapidly building itself as a force in football, bolstered by the continuing evolution of both the Mercurial and the Tiempo. The Swoosh positioned Ronaldo as their lead man heading into the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, arming him with a new weapon with which to conquer the world: the Mercurial Vapor.
Now, 22 years later, Nike have rereleased the boot as the Mercurial Vapor 1 RGN, recreating the original’s upper design, but placing it on the soleplate of the current Air Zoom Mercurial Vapor XVI. The look is almost identical to the OG, with the same “Chrome/Lime” colourway playing out. Silver base, lime accents, black branding, including the “R9” on the mini tongue. Doesn’t get much better.
This is an extremely limited edition release, with just 4,500 pairs being available worldwide (the same number that was released 22 years ago). That number is called out on a special tag, which also indicates which one of the 4,500 you’ve got (if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a pair).
You can expect to see Vinicus Jr. lacing up in these when he returns from his current minor injury.
The Nike Mercurial Vapor 1 RGN will be available in extremely limited quantities from 9 December at prodirectsport.com/soccer
