Arriving as the final drop of Predator’s 30th Anniversary Year, adidas officially launch the next generation of the Predator franchise. And they do so in some style, revealing it in the champagne colourway that was made so famous on the iconic Mania from 2002.
We already knew that David Beckham’s Originals Predator signalled the end of Predator 24, bringing to a close one of the most popular and well received modern boot lines after 17 colourways of the favoured fold-over tongue variation. So when we started to see a new colourway doing the rounds on the feet of the pros on pitches across the world, it became rapidly apparent that this was a new generation, kicking off its existence in a visual design that evokes the franchise’s heritage. And no doubt it would also boast tech innovations to pave the way for the future of the boot in 2025.
So step forward the new Predator, offering a preview of what we can expect in 2025, much as the Predator 30 and PredStrike boots did at the tail end of 2024. Fans of the 2002 Predator Mania will immediately recognise the boots’ champagne, red and black colourway (officially "Off White/Core Black/Pure Ruby"), which has been given a fresh twist to suit the all-new upper silhouette. Red lines running along the medial and lateral sides of the boot behind the three stripes are a fond call back to the 1998 Predator Accelerator.
Away from the aesthetics and, as expected, it’s more a case of tweaks under the hood rather than a full on overhaul, although adidas are keeping things close to their chest at this stage, using this release as more of a tease. So we expect to find out more in an official sense in the new year. But what we do know is that the StrikeSkin now features rubber fins with longer length and increased quantity, strategically placed in strike zones to support ball grip for precision shot-making. The exact placement of the fins is inspired by the Predator Mania, tying in with the colourway.
The soleplate doesn’t look to have had any radical retooling, and the slightly tweaked tongue shape is one of the only other big changes. But of course, as with most Predator 24 releases, this drop sees three fit options in the laced, laceless and foldover tongue versions.
Pick up the new adidas Predator in either laced, laceless or fold-over tongue versions from 6 December at prodirectsport.com/soccer
